THE MATING CLAIM: Werewolves of Montana Book 14

by Vanak, Bonnie

  Drust frowned. “As you wish.”

  A confused look came over his face as the others laughed at the oblique reference to the movie they’d watched. Then the dragon waved a hand and vanished from their sight.

  Much later that night in their castle, while the twins slumbered, Tristan made good on his promise to Niki.

  Not butter, but scented massage oil, worked deep into her muscles. And then rolling over, Tristan kissed her deeply. And then he made sweet love to her, until they both lay exhausted and sated with pleasure.

  But long after the loving, when Niki lay curled against him fast asleep, Tristan remained awake. He needed no sleep, but liked to rest when she did, for Niki was a new immortal and required it.

  Tonight he would get none. Thoughts danced in his mind, deeply worrisome.

  No sound came from the nursery but he sensed Kara was awake. Tristan slid out of bed, donned gray sweat pants and padded quietly into the room down the hallway.

  A nightlamp decorated with a dancing wolf sat on the white dresser, casting a soft gold glow over their children. Keegan remained asleep, but as he’d thought, Kara sat up in her crib, grasping the bars like a restless prisoner. Tristan slipped into the room and picked up his daughter.

  “Still awake, baby?” He took her over to the rocker and sitting with her cradled in his arms, began to sing. Kara babbled, clasping his long hair.

  Tristan rested his cheek against her soft blonde head. Niki had been a trooper, carrying the twins for more than a year, far longer than most Lupines remained pregnant. She’d insisted on birthing them on earth as well, so her twin Nia could be at her side. Tristan had capitulated, even though it meant her labor was long, painful and arduous. But he knew the deep bond Nia and Niki shared.

  As Kara finally fell asleep, he felt another presence in the nursery. He rubbed his cheek against his daughter’s head. “Forgive me for not rising, but my daughter just fell asleep. My lady, are you here on official business?”

  The goddess Danu stepped out from the shadows. “Remain where you are, my wizard. I merely came to check on your twins, as I do at night oft times. They are rare and precious children.”

  Without words, he handed Kara over to Danu. Kara snuggled into the goddess’s arms.

  Danu kissed the top of her head. “Though she has yet to manifest any signs of it, Kara will be a child of tremendous power, Tristan. Perhaps even more so than her twin.”

  “As Sonia, Xavier and Ciara’s daughter, already is.” He gave a wry smile. “But you knew this, even as you knew when I boasted of having a boy that Nikita would carry a girl as well.”

  Danu’s own smile hinted of mischief. “You have much power, my wizard, but you cannot know everything, especially concerning your mate.”

  Then she placed Kara back in her crib on her back. Danu joined him at the rocker, sitting on the window seat. “You are troubled about your old friend, Drust.”

  “Yes.” He rocked a little. “He is hurting. I know him, I know how he feels lost and alone. He needs Lacey.”

  “But he must discover it on his own, just as you did. It is difficult to refrain from guiding one whom you care for, when you know what is right for them. Drust’s journey is his own.”

  He inclined his head. “Of course. However the Book of Shadows…”

  “Is dangerous. It makes no difference.” She gazed him thoughtfully, her long red curls golden in the lamplight. “You have guided him well until now, Tristan. It is time for you to let go and allow Drust to rely on his own judgement, wrong or right.”

  Something else troubled Tristan. “I only know of the book from what Caderyn has told us in the past. He has been reluctant to inform of us much, only how the book can be destroyed or that it should never have fallen into mortal hands. What is his connection to it?”

  Danu nodded. “You need to know, Tristan. I will tell you.”

  When she finished, he did not feel better, but understood the Shadow Wizard’s reasons for creating the book.

  She stood with grace, went over to the cribs and murmured words, sketching runes in the air that glowed with good omens. The magick she created comforted him, for Danu put a protective shield around his twins.

  Then she vanished.

  For a long time, Tristan remained rocking in the chair.

  He had not told the dragon wizard the full truth. There were spells inside the Book of Shadows no mortal should mess with, Caderyn had said. Or immortal.

  Spells that could manipulate matter as the wizards could.

  Or summon demons from the Dark Lands to do one’s bidding.

  Or even turn a wizard of Brehon into demon food.

  The book could ultimately destroy them and bring about the downfall of Others and Skins. Because without the Brehon to protect Skins from Otherworlders’ misuse of power, they would run amok.

  The faster Drust could convince Lacey to hand over the book, the better.

  Or they would, as Caderyn put it, could kiss everything they loved and their immortality good-bye.

  Chapter 3

  Two hours after Drust left her, Lacey finally got herself together. She drove home and took a long, hot shower, crying beneath the spray, getting out all the toxic emotions bottled inside her.

  My daddy’s dead. And I never formally met him.

  Staring at herself in the mirror, she tried to see herself as her father had during that brief meeting when he’d given her the Book of Shadows. At the time, she had not realized the importance of that meeting.

  If only I had known who he was.

  If only I had taken more time with him!

  When she emerged from the bathroom, her body and eyes dry, resolve replaced grief. Regrets were a waste of time. All her life she’d had to fight to survive. Today was nothing less than what she’d expected.

  Foolish dream, to think she could find her father and have a real relationship with him. In the kitchen, she put a small chicken breast on the skillet, barely searing it. Dragons, like other shifters, required rare meat once a month to retain their powers and she’d been remiss in ensuring her body had adequate fuel.

  Hard to afford real meat when sales at the shop had been sagging, and the bills kept mounting. She had no real income, but for her part-time job at the restaurant. Her first paycheck had been deposited in the bank, and she bought the food her body needed as a dragon. But the rent on her store was due and she didn’t have it.

  After eating, she felt stronger. But not strong enough. Too long she’d gone without adequate nutrition.

  Lacey did the dishes and braced her hands on the sink, staring out the window at her expansive back yard. She should open the shop and start her digital sales campaign for this month’s sale on herbs. Tara Wilmington, her friend and the owner of Treats & Eats Coffee Shop next door, requested Lacey pick out a special children’s book for the tots weekly reading session. Lacey adored reading to the little ones, and Tara, a witch, even started a separate group for Other children to encourage them in their yet-undiscovered abilities.

  Her passion for helping kids had to be balanced with the dismal reflection of her bank account, though. But she’d be damned if she said no to those kids simply because she was flat broke. Somehow, she’d find the time for Tara’s kids.

  Thinking of all those shining faces – the future dragon shifters, Lupines, witches and Mages – who sat in rapt attention as she relayed tales and adventures of flying as dragon, she vowed she’d find the time somehow.

  For now, she had to shake off the lingering sadness about her father.

  Flying always centered her.

  She went to the royal Poinciana tree planted in memory of the father she’d figured she would never meet. Her chest tightened and she wanted to cry again as she touched the marker planted before the tree.

  Lacey closed her eyes, trying to remember their meeting.

  Nothing remarkable. A man of average height, with wispy brown hair and spectacles. He did seem stooped, as if spending much time hunched o
ver a table and reading. When he’d given her the book, he had whispered to her as Evie browsed through a sale table filled with potions.

  If only she could recall his words! But she’d been too excited about the gift, and a little wary as well, and eager to get home so she could read through the pages.

  Why didn’t you ever look for me, dad? What was wrong with me that you spent your entire life avoiding your responsibility to me, your child? Why didn’t you ever come for me like I imagined you always would?

  Throat tightening, she dusted off her hands and headed for the yard’s middle. Lacey stretched out her arms and called upon her magick.

  Bones lengthened and widened, and as always, the change took place almost instantly instead of the slow, painful change of late. Food truly helped. Lacey’s vision sharpened and her hearing as well. Immense power filled her, the feeling she could conquer anything.

  No one would ever hurt her again. She could seek revenge on the one woman who’d hurt her as a child.

  Unfortunately, the Coldfire Wizard would prohibit her plans. For all his words, Drust had no idea of what it felt like to be orphaned, abandoned and then scarred by someone who’d promised to raise and protect you.

  She took to the air, flying high above the urban landscape, relishing the power of her wings, the feeling of freedom. When she was little, long before she reached her first shift at 21, Lacey dreamed of being dragon.

  Of flying away from all her troubles.

  And now as an adult, she could do so, but duty and commitments ground her. No way would she abandon Evie. Her sister had Chase, and would be fine, but Lacey still worried. She’d watched over Evie from the time when she was six and had come to the foster home to live. Evie had been so little and frail, Lacey felt instantly protective of her.

  And now Evie was eloping with Chase. She would move away and have babies of her own. I’m all alone.

  But I am still dragon.

  I can still fly.

  Banking with the wind, she finally arrived at the rundown house much further north in Florida owned by her foster mother. Boards covered the windows, a few shingles were missing from the roof. Weeds grew amidst the knee-high grass on the half acre of property.

  She landed on the gravel driveway, and shifted back into human form, clothing herself by magick in tan shorts and a white tank top. A bicycle lay on its side, rusting and abandoned. Lacey went to the bike and kicked the tire.

  “Stupid bike,” she whispered.

  Melanie had given it to her for her tenth birthday, along with a beating from her leather belt. Ten licks for ten years, the woman had told her. That will beat the witch out of you. Then she sent Lacey out to ride the bike, but Lacey had been too sore to remain on the seat for long.

  Never again had she ridden a bike.

  Lacey climbed onto the porch. Heart beating fast, she pried loose a board and peered inside.

  Then she removed a few more, taking care to avoid the rusty nails, and climbed inside. The stench of mold slammed into her, making her cough.

  No one had lived her in years, not since the day her foster mother had whipped her and the Silver Wizard removed her and Evie from the home, taking them to live with Lacey’s real mother.

  Not even rats lived here now. A faint air of malevolence lingered in the air. Shuddering, she scurried outside.

  Then she shifted into dragon again and took to the air, hovering above the house and staring down at it.

  I should have done this a long time ago. Diving down for the kill, Lacey opened her mouth.

  Red-hot flames poured forth on the aging roof. Fire caught quickly, consuming the white clapboard, eating away at the rotting wood.

  Brief joy filled her. Burn baby, burn.

  But as she watched the fire take hold and destroy the structure, she felt emptiness replace the joy. It was only a house, after all.

  Melanie was the true culprit, the person who deserved to go up in flames.

  How many other foster children had she gone on to torment after Lacey and Evie left her care? She didn’t know, for Tristan had shielded that information from her.

  She couldn’t even locate Melanie Thomas through ordinary Skin means.

  But now she had the Book of Shadows, and she would track down her foster mother and deliver a little payback.

  No sirens screeched, no neighbors came out to look at the fire. Alarmed, she saw sparks leap off the roof and set the dry grass alight. It was May and this area was under a drought.

  Terrific. Now she would burn the entire field and forest.

  She flew downward, tried beating out the flames with her wings, but only succeeded in spreading them.

  I can’t do anything right. Lacey searched the area for any approaching help, but the fire hadn’t caught anyone’s attention. She could fly to a nearby fire station, but the flames would spread far by then.

  Terrific. Now I have to call upon Drust to put it out. I’d be better off asking a pyromaniac for assistance.

  Thinking of Drust made her stomach roil, and not unpleasantly, either. It made no sense. She should hate the wizard deeply for how he’d ruined her dreams.

  She did feel guilty about this fire, especially if it raged out of control and encroached on someone else’s land.

  Shifting back into her human form, she sighed, ran a hand through her hair and muttered, “Hello? Help? Tristan? 9-11? Got a little fire here that’s raging out of control.”

  Instantly there was a soft pop of air, a mist of silver and Tristan materialized before her. Damn, this was not good because she’d barely muttered his name, which meant he’d been keeping close watch over her.

  Lacey hated it when any of the immortal wizards kept an eye on her. Especially now with the Book of Shadows in her possession, a book they knew she had.

  With a wave of his hand, the Silver Wizard extinguished the blaze. Timbers fell upon each other, and the stench of smoke added to her guilt.

  “Lacey.” Tristan sighed and turned toward her. “I did not save you from your childhood home so you could turn it into a barbecue pit.”

  She shrugged. “Why not? It’s the south. Everyone loves a good barbecue.”

  “Destroying property will not destroy the past.”

  Pride rose up. She scowled at him. “Maybe not, but it feels damn good.”

  “As good as the dream of finding your father coming true?”

  Not far. So not far. She turned away from him, emotions tumbling together. Never cry.

  But Tristan came behind her, and touched her shoulder. “You had a dream when you were young, Lacey. You longed to meet your mother and have a real home. I wished to fulfill it for you. But sometimes dreams do not turn out the way they should. Nor does life. Remember this when you think of your birth father. Sometimes the fantasy of a person does not meet your expectations, especially when you’ve held it in your heart for years.”

  “Tell that to your fellow wizard, the one who killed him.”

  A sharp intake of breath. Lacey cringed. Why did her mouth always get her into trouble? She braced herself, expecting a sharp sting of energy as punishment. But instead Tristan turned her around.

  “Do not blame Drust for doing his job and saving many from your father’s destruction.”

  Lacey searched the wizard’s ageless, dark gaze. “Why are you being so lenient with me?”

  His expression shuttered. “You will find out in time. For now, know this. You will answer to Drust from this time forth. It’s best if you do whatever he says regarding the Book of Shadows.”

  “Drust is my enemy,” she blurted out. “He’s not as nice as you.”

  A brief smile tugged at his mouth. “He may be much nicer to you than you realize. Obey him, Lacey. This is the last time I’m saving your ass.”

  With a wave of his hand, Tristan vanished.

  “Hey, it’s a nice ass,” she yelled at the sky.

  A whistling sound, and something descended from the sky, hitting her in the face. She flinched and
plucked the soft fabric from the ground where it landed.

  Juicy, bragged the pink embroidery across the bottom of the white shorts. Lacey looked at the label. Her size as well.

  She gave a grudging laugh, unable to stay mad at Tristan. “I like the color blue better!”

  Another pair of shorts, cobalt blue, descended from the sky. This pair had Hot & Juicy embroidered in white across the butt.

  “Thanks,” she muttered.

  After shifting into dragon, she clutched the shorts in her claws and flew home.

  Maybe after alterations, Evie could wear the white pair.

  In the meantime, she had a business to run. A book to consult and money to make.

  A smile widened her dragon mouth. Obey Drust?

  Kiss my juicy ass, Tristan.

  Chapter 4

  It deeply bothered Drust that he could not get a handle on Lacey and what mischief she plotted. Nor could he effectively envision her whereabouts.

  Worse, he had no clue where she’d hidden the Book of Shadows.

  He suspected it had less to do with his new powers as a wizard and more with the odd coincidence they shared the same blue dragon birthmark.

  Ego prohibited him from asking for help from the others. However, he had an obligation to duty, stamped into him since his mortal birth. She was his charge, and he’d made a pledge to their goddess Danu to judge and guard his dragon charges and do the honorable thing.

  So he swallowed his pride and asked the one wizard who knew almost everything.

  Caderyn.

  In the Shadow Wizard’s vast library, Drust paced as Caderyn searched the three-story high shelves for the ancient texts he needed. The book told of the origin of the Book of Shadows, what spells it contained and how to destroy it.

  Finally Caderyn floated down from the third floor, carrying a tiny leather-bound volume no larger than a postage stamp. Drust blinked.

  “That’s it? Does not look like much.”