“Well, looks like sleeping beauty is awake,” Owen said, kissing her on the forehead.
“Yes, but you still aren’t a handsome prince,” she teased.
“No, but I am handsome, right?”
“That you are. You are even better than a prince in my version of this fairytale. I love you, Owen.”
“I know. I love you too, princess. Now, let’s go get my mother. She will definitely want to meet you,” he said as they followed Connor and Emily toward their destiny.
Epilogue
Things seemed to happen quickly once they arrived in Ireland. Emily and Amy remained behind at the hotel while Connor and Owen met their mother in a nearby pub for lunch. Though the discussion that took place between the three of them would most likely never be fully known to the two women left to wait, they soon found themselves standing in a room with Connor and Owen’s mother.
“Well, it looks like the five of us are about to become refugees of some sort,” the elder woman told them.
“It seems so,” Emily replied.
Amy stood nervously nearby, waiting to see what Owen’s mother might have to say to her, but she was nervous for nothing.
“You must be Amy. You’re just as beautiful as Owen said you were. I guess I can fault my son for falling in love with a human when she’s clearly exactly what he’s needed in his life for a very long time now. Welcome to our family, Amy.”
“Thank you,” Amy replied, finding herself quickly pulled into a hug that felt nothing but genuine.
She looked over the woman’s shoulder toward Owen, who was beaming from ear to ear. Whatever happened from here on, she knew it would be okay. This could only be the beginning of a whole new world for all of them.
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Chapter 1
“Connor, this is Emily. She just moved here from Dublin.”
Connor looked from his older brother, Owen, to the petite young woman standing beside him. She was stunning. Not only did she have the most gorgeous flaming red hair he had ever seen, but she possessed deep blue eyes, a rarity for gingers in their home of Carlingford, Ireland. Not only was she beautiful, she was also naturally athletic-looking. She looked like she could take anyone in a sprint, despite her diminutive stature.
“Pleased to meet you, Emily,” Connor replied.
“Likewise,” she told him, her eyes never leaving his.
For a moment, it was as if no one else existed but the two of them. Was there something happening between them, or was it just his imagination? More importantly, was she a shifter? These were both questions to which he suddenly found himself desperately wanting answers. Fortunately, his brother was going to help him with the answer to at least one of them.
“Emily is a dragon shifter too. I’ve got to head up to the city center to pick up some supplies, but I thought maybe you could show her around the place, perhaps take her out for a flight around the Mournes to show her the safe zones.”
“Sure, no problem. I’d be happy to do that.”
“Good deal. Thanks, brother,” Owen told him with a knowing smile before turning to walk away.
“So, how long have you been in Carlingford?” Connor asked, turning back toward Emily.
“I just moved my stuff here today. My mother recently passed away after a long illness. I came here to stay with my aunt and, you know, to be with people like me.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Loss is hard. Owen and I lost our father when we were young. Have you already met Aiden?”
“The dragon leader of your clan? Yes. We met earlier today. He seemed a little creepy. Is it okay to say that?”
“Yes. You can say that.” Connor laughed. “He does come across as creepy quite often.”
“Glad I’m not the only one that thinks so. I’ll be keeping a healthy distance from him, I think.”
“Probably not a bad idea. Anyway, let me show you around a bit. Everyone on this side of the mountain is part of our clan. Most of the other side is, too, but there are a few non-shifter friendlies over there as well. Bottom line is that you are safe spreading your wings anywhere on the ground here, but limit your flights toward the east, over the water. Try to stay over Carlingford Lough and only go out during twilight or dusk when you aren’t as noticeable from a distance.”
“It will be so nice to be able to fly every day if I want,” she said. “I was so limited in Dublin. Even though it is on the coast, there was way too much going on at the port with coming and going ships. I could only fly in complete darkness in the wee hours.”
“I understand completely. You will find that we are much more accepted here by the people who live nearby, but not so much outside the mountain.”
“I’ll try to keep a low profile.”
“Good. Anyway, come on and we’ll meet some folks while we wait for the sun to drop a bit.”
After quick introductions around town, Connor and Emily headed up the mountain, walking until they reached the peak. The sun was going down as they stood there, overlooking the sea below them. Something about being here with her felt magical. How could she have such an effect on him so quickly? He told himself to shake it off, to snap out of it.
“Ready?” Connor asked.
“Beyond ready,” Emily said, stepping away from him, toward the edge of the overhang on which they stood.
He watched as she morphed from her already beautiful form into the most gorgeous blue and silver dragon he had ever laid eyes on. Her blue eyes glimmered a metallic shade as they peered through the silver stripe that crossed her brow and spanned down her neck, flowing toward the tips of her wings as they began to spread. She turned and took flight out over the water.
Connor jumped from the cliff behind her, enjoying the free fall in his human form for a moment before he morphed midair into a bright red and orange dragon. His wings spanned twice the distance of hers as he tried to catch up. She was so much smaller, and yet incredibly fast. He felt something stir within him as she seemed to slow, waiting for him to catch up. He dove below her as they continued their flight, with her soaring only slightly above him as they made their way further out to sea.
They landed on a small island far away from prying eyes and shifted back to human form. Lying beneath the star-laden sky above them, they talked well into the night.
“It is so beautiful here, especially at night,” Emily said breathlessly.
“It is. I’ve always found it magical to fly over the waters at night, to look up at the stars that we can’t fly quite high enough to reach.”
“I know. Normal human people always mourn that they can’t fly. We can fly but still mourn our limitations. I guess everyone has their limitations, in some way.”
“That’s very observant and very true,” Connor said. “I sometimes wonder if there is anyone out there who is truly content with what they have, with who they are.”
“I think a good many people are as close as they can be. We accept our limitations and get on with life.”
“I suppose we do, but I think we all have regrets.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “What are your regrets? If there was one thing you could change, what would it be?”
“I would have saved my father.”
“I never knew my father. I would have saved my mother if I had been able to. I’m sure your brother would have saved your father, too, if he had been able to.”
“Possibly, but the choice would be harder for him,” he said. “He lost someone, a woman he loved. He has been different since then. We were young when our father died. It was painful, but you don’t understand as much as you do later. He was eighteen when he lost Margaret. He’s never quite recovered from i
t.”
“That explains his demeanor. He strikes me as a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.”
“That he is,” Connor said softly, turning to pull her closer to him against the chill of the night as they continued to talk.
As morning neared, they found themselves in one another’s arms, lost to a passionate kiss. Connor had never felt anything like what he was experiencing with Emily. It was something that he knew he could never let go.
“We need to get back home,” he told her.
“I suppose we do.” She smiled, pulling away from him and standing up.
“I don’t want to go,” he said.
“Me neither,” she replied, adding, “Catch me if you can!” before morphing and sailing back out over the sea toward home.
Connor quickly followed her, once again marveling at how fast she was even as he struggled to keep up with her speed. He might be bigger, but he would never take her in a race. It was something he was willing to accept. Then again, he had the feeling that there was very little he couldn’t accept about her.
Chapter 2
In the months that passed after that first night, Connor and Emily had become inseparable. He was completely mesmerized by her beauty and sense of adventure. There was not one doubt in his mind that they were meant for one another. His six-two frame towered over her tiny five-three. His brown eyes and brown hair seemed bland compared to the vivid colors of her flame-colored hair and sky-blue eyes. He knew women found him attractive, but now, she was the only one he wanted to notice him.
“Brother, snap out of it,” Owen said from where he sat at a table nearby.
“Sorry. I was thinking about Emily,” Connor said bashfully.
“When are you not?” Owen laughed.
“That’s an excellent point.” Connor laughed too.
“I swear you’ve become like a giddy schoolgirl since she showed up here.”
“You introduced me to her. Don’t think I didn’t see the smirk on your face when you brought her over.”
“I have no idea what you mean, brother. I was just trying to shirk having to show the new girl around.”
“Right,” Connor replied, eyeing his brother for a moment.
A melancholy swept over him as he thought about Owen’s life and the sadness that seemed to engulf him all the time. It had been a long time since Connor’s brother had been interested in a woman, so it was probably true that he had not been interested in showing Emily around, but he also must have been able to see her for what she was: beautiful. That was the reason he had brought her to Connor rather than someone else in their village.
“Yes. It is right,” Owen replied, not looking up from what he was working on.
Their conversation was disrupted by a knock on the door. They looked at each other curiously. Emily was away for a couple of days, visiting relatives, so it couldn’t be her. They rarely had visitors at home. Owen walked toward the door and opened it, looking at the small, frail man that stood on the other side in confusion.
“Owen and Connor McCord?” the man asked.
Connor studied him for a moment. He was unshaven and unkempt, hunching over in that way that some older men seemed to as they aged. He might have been nice-looking, once upon a time, but he now looked haggard and weary. Even his clothes were worn through, as if he hadn’t bought anything new for years.
“That’s us,” Owen replied from the other side of the room. “What can we do for you?”
“You don’t know me, I know. My name is Liam Donnelly. I need to talk to the two of you.”
“About what?” Owen replied, rising from the table to walk over by Connor.
“It’s, um, private. Can I come in? I can’t be seen here.”
“Come on in,” Owen told him, waving him inside and closing the door behind him.
“Why can’t you be seen here?” Connor asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
“Aiden. If he finds me here, he’ll kill me. Well, I don’t suppose that really matters at this point,” Liam added with a nervous laugh.
“I thought I knew everyone here, but I’ve never seen you before. How do you know Aiden?” Connor asked.
“I keep a very low profile. I’m the one that remains in the shadows and does what needs to be done,” Liam said.
“What does that mean, exactly?” Owen asked.
Both of the brothers stood looking down on the old man a bit menacingly. Something about him didn’t quite feel right. Aiden wasn’t exactly high on their list of allies. Though he was the dragon leader, they stayed away from him as much as possible. Rumors had long alluded to the fact that he was involved in the death of their father, and possibly the previous dragon leader whom he had replaced.
“Look. It doesn’t matter. Can we just sit down for a bit? I’m old and not well. It took most of my energy just to walk here,” Liam told them.
“Sure. Have a seat, Mr. Donnelly,” Owen said, waving toward the chairs around the kitchen table.
The old man hobbled toward the table, almost collapsing into it. He seemed to gasp for each breath of air he drew as he sat there for a moment in silence. Owen remained standing, arms folded neatly across his chest as he studied Liam.
“Do you need something to drink, Mr. Donnelly?” Connor asked.
“I would appreciate that. Just some water would be nice. I’m pretty parched.”
“No problem.”
Connor walked over to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of ice-cold water, handing it to the beleaguered old man and sitting down across from him. Owen finally pulled up a chair nearby, silently waiting for Liam to finish drinking some of the water and gather himself.
“First, let me tell you how very sorry I am about all of this. I should have come here years ago, but I was afraid,” Liam said.
“Afraid of what?’ Connor asked.
“Aiden. You’ve no idea just how dangerous he is,” Liam told them.
“Why don’t you tell us, then?” Owen said.
“I was there, the day your father died. There is more to his death than anyone knows about,” Liam said.
Connor looked at him, his eyes narrowing as he tried to determine what the old man was up to, but before he could ask, the man dropped a bombshell on them.
“Aiden was there, too. I saw him kill your father,” Liam finished.
“What?” Connor roared, up and out of his chair like a shot.
He yanked the old man up by his collar, shaking him as if the answers to any further questions would just fall out of his shirt or pants. Rather than looking terrified, Liam just looked resigned, dangling like he was nothing from Connor’s powerful hands.
“Connor, stop it! Put him down and let him finish,” Owen yelled at his brother.
“Not until he tells us what he saw,” Connor barked back.
“I believe he was doing that before you started manhandling him. Put him down, brother.”
Connor dropped the old man back down into his seat. Liam straightened up in the chair and took another sip of the water before speaking again. He didn’t appear shaken at all, just resigned to whatever fate he was dealt.
“Like I was saying, I was there when Aiden killed your father. We were on Sheep Island, where we had flown to find a shifter. Your father had been told the shifter killed a young woman in nearby Ballintoy Harbor. Aiden told him that the man was nursing an injured wing, the result of a gunshot from the woman’s brother when he had tried to stop the attack.”
“Our father died here, in the Mournes, not all the way up the coast on Sheep Island,” Connor said flatly.
“No. Your father fought his way all the way from Sheep Island to the Isle of Man and back to the Mournes, where Aiden finished him off while he was still weak.”
“That’s impossible,” Connor said. “Our father was very powerful. He was to be the dragon leader. Tomalin hand-selected him as his replacement, but then my father died before he did. So, Aid
en was selected instead. Dad was bigger and stronger, but he was gone.”
“Yes, but your father was drugged. A gift of soup before he was summoned to come to Sheep Island by Aiden.”
“What are you talking about? How do you know this?” Connor snarled.
“Because I am the one that Aiden sent to deliver the soup earlier that day. Your mother had taken you out for a day in the city with friends. Aiden hadn’t known you would be gone. He had intended to kill all of you, but with you away, only your father ate it, and he was stronger than expected. At first, it seemed to have no effect on him at all, then he was only weakened by it. Still, he didn’t refuse when Aiden asked for his help on Sheep Island.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. How could he think he would have gotten by with killing our entire family?” Connor asked, his anger mounting.
“I don’t know. He has friends everywhere. I’m sure he had made arrangements for the coroner to say it was merely food poisoning. Botulism or some such thing.”
“And you did this knowing that he was being set up? Knowing that he was being drugged? Knowing that you were helping to try and kill an entire family?”
“Yes,” Liam replied evenly. “It was the same poison he used later on with Tomalin, only a heftier dose. Once he had failed with your father, he made other plans to take advantage of his weakened state. He didn’t want to make the same mistake with Tomalin. The idea with him was to make sure he died quickly. Tomalin was on the precipice by then anyway, so no one questioned it.”
“How did you see him kill our father if they were fighting their way back from Sheep Island, out into the sea to Isle of Man and then back onto the Mourne coast?” Owen demanded.
“Your father was still alive when he reached the coast. He had gone into the water, badly injured, and managed to drag himself out of the sea and onto the beach. I was standing on the cliffs above and saw Aiden as he swooped in for the final kill, snapping his neck and leaving him lying there on the sand. He came up with the story about your father being attacked by an unknown dragon shifter and left for dead.”
Saved by a Dragon (Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Exiled Dragons Book 1) Page 10