Drust. He’d found her.
Materializing at the room’s front, he glowed with power, his brilliant blue gaze softening as he swept it over her reading group.
The children all gasped, while Lacey rolled her eyes. “Don’t you ever knock, wizard?”
He looked at her a moment, then rapped his knuckles on the door frame. “There. I knocked.”
Ciara giggled and Sonia squealed. Seeing them, Drust gave a wide smile as they waved.
The children stared while Lacey bit back a smile. Maybe Drust was severe and glowed with practically omnipotent power, but he had a winsome sarcastic streak she liked.
Just like you. The thought startled her.
Billy, the child who’d spoken up early, pointed at Drust. “You’re, you’re… him, the one my daddy says is the dragon wizard! My daddy says you’re new and our wizard is more powerful. But Tristan can’t shoot coldfire out of his eyes and my daddy says you can.”
Drust’s mouth twitched. He squatted down to the wide-eyed Billy’s level. “That’s right, I can. Tristan is as powerful as I am. But I’ll share a secret. I can do something that Tristan can’t do. Would you like to see?”
At the child’s nod, Drust fisted his hand, which had started to glow blue. He opened it to reveal six blue diamonds.
The other children gathered around with cries of oooh and aahhh.
“Are they diamonds? They look like diamonds,” Billy said, marveling. “My mommy has white diamonds.”
Drust shook his head. “Frozen coldfire.”
Cries of “cool” and “wow” came from the children.
The wizard glanced at her, his expression inscrutable. “I’m quite talented with my hands.”
The double entendre didn’t escape her. Flustered, she backed up a step, remembering the delicious taste of him as he’d kissed her, his lips feathering across her throat, those wicked palms kneading her flesh before he’d stopped and she’d pulled away.
The Coldfire Wizard regarded the children before him. His smile dropped as he studied Willow, still standing apart from the other children. He gave her a long, thoughtful look.
“Who are you?” he asked in his deep voice.
Willow whimpered and went to Lacey, wrapping her arms around her waist. Lacey slid a protective arm around Willow and glared at Drust.
“She’s here to learn. Got a problem with that?” she challenged.
He frowned and glanced at Ciara and then shrugged. Drust turned away, made a fist again and this time his palm was filled with bright blue marbles.
“May I?” Billy asked, his eyes shining. “I know how to play marbles.”
Good for you, kid. I feel like I’m about to lose all mine.
“Why are you here, wizard?” she blurted out. “I’m not breaking any laws.”
“I am not here to punish you, Lacey McGuire.”
After setting the marbles down for the children to play, he walked over to Ciara and the baby. The kiss he dropped on Ciara’s cheek brushed a cobweb of jealousy over Lacey. She untangled herself from Willow and urged her to join the others.
Sonia clamored and held out her arms. “Dragon!”
He picked her up, cooing to her. Something in his practiced stance, the tender way he cradled the baby, and his rapt attention told her Drust had done this before. Maybe he’d been a father several times over in his mortal life.
“That’s right, Sonia. I’m a dragon. Are you having fun?
The cherubic child put a finger in her mouth and babbled, “Dragons can fly and touch the sky and they are pretty, and so am I.”
A deep laugh rumbled from Drust’s chest. He bounced the baby up and down. “Smart Sonia. I wonder who taught her how to say that?”
Ciara stood, and gestured to Lacey, who flushed.
Drust looked at the lovely woman in the green gown, grinned. “So that’s how she’s learning.”
Confused, Lacey noted the exchange of glances. Clearly Ciara and Drust knew each other. Were they friends?
Or more?
The thought occurred to her that perhaps Drust had a mate. Maybe he was cheating on his mate. Not that it was her business. Jealousy flashed through her, an emotion so strange she almost didn’t recognize it. Then she bit back a laugh. Drust meant nothing to her. He was a powerful wizard and she was a mortal. There could never be anything between them. In fact, there wasn’t anything between them now, except he was a pain in her bottom and she needed to avoid him.
Ciara gave her gentle smile. “Lacey is a good teacher. She’s excellent with the little ones and has a real passion for teaching them.”
“Of course. Lacey does have many passions,” he murmured.
The look he gave Lacey was pure heat, his blue eyes smoldering. So much for the theory there was nothing between them. Lacey felt a heated flush creep up her neck.
After the dream last night and Drust’s kisses, she had to put distance between them. Maybe a mile would suffice. Because this wizard had the real power to hurt her, and not only physically. He held the power to shatter her heart into tiny pieces like so many in her life had already done.
Drust was an immortal with incredible magick to destroy her if she didn’t follow the rules. She was already vulnerable enough with him. Sex would only empower him further.
Her defenses sprang up like a porcupine’s needles. Lacey scowled at Drust.
“Why are you here, wizard? Need to learn how to read?”
Drust kissed the Sonia’s forehead as she patted his cheeks. “I am here checking on you, Lacey McGuire, and wished to inquire why you ran away from me this morning. You were not in bed when I returned and I was expecting to find you there.”
Ciara looked interested. Lacey felt herself redden more. Goodness, now this woman, who obviously knew Drust and maybe was an immortal herself, would think they were sleeping together.
“I didn’t run away. It’s my house. I have a shop. Duties and responsibilities. I need to make money, because unlike you, I can’t just conjure a bag of gold to pay my bills.”
“I have no bills.” An impish light gleaned his eyes. “All my expenses are paid for. One of the benefits of being a member of the Brehon.”
Ciara giggled.
Annoyance swept through her. Fine for Drust to joke about money when he only had to wave a hand and get whatever he truly wanted. Well, life wasn’t so easy for the mere mortals living on earth.
For once, she had no smart comeback, no sarcastic reply. Instead, she turned her back on him and dropped to the floor to watch the children play.
A pair of doeskin boots appeared in her vision. Drust set Sonia down and then squatted next to her.
Two fingers on her chin tipped her head up to meet his penetrating gaze. “Lacey, we will continue our discussion from last night. Not now. But later.” He cocked his head in that way of his, as if listening to a distant cry for help. “I have a call I must answer.”
“I suppose you don’t have cell phone bills either,” she shot back.
A brief smile tugged at his mouth, those lips that had felt so warm and firm upon her own. “I will return.”
Then the boots vanished and she felt a sudden sense of emptiness.
Ciara touched her shoulder. “Lacey, will you watch Sonia for a moment? I’m going to order an herbal tea. Tara brews the most refreshing tea. Would you like anything?”
“Sure, I can watch her and no thanks, I’m fine.”
When the woman walked through the beaded curtain, Lacey picked up one of the blue marbles. Swirling with striations of deep indigo, cobalt and pale blue, the marble was lovely and reminded her of Drust’s power.
“Everything about you is blue, wizard. Wonder if you ever have blue balls,” she muttered to herself, setting it back down.
I did this morning after you left me, a voice spoke inside her head.
Startled, she shook her head. Get out of my mind. It’s not polite to eavesdrop.
The voice went silent. She turned her attention to the c
hildren, trying to focus on something else.
“Kids, I have to leave soon. But remember what we talked about, okay? Snakes are beautiful and you shouldn’t treat snake shifters any differently. Try to make friends with shifters who are different from you.”
“Okay Miss McGuire,” they echoed.
“Snakey,” Sonia burbled.
“That’s right, Sonia. Snakes are beautiful.”
The baby clapped her hands and screamed, “Want!”
Suddenly an enormous snake appeared out of nowhere, curled up on the carpet. Not just any snake, but one with a wide, triangle-shaped head, and a dark body made for blending into the undergrowth of a swampy forest.
Sonia pointed and gurgled. “My snakey.”
“Oh my stars,” Lacey whispered, understanding slapping her upside the head with fresh insight. “You’re not just a cute baby. You’re a magick baby… a wizard’s baby!”
Hello, Ciara? Um, now would be a good time to return… your baby is yanking live snakes into my classroom.
Shrieking, the children backed away from the snake as Sonia laughed and clapped her hands. All the children but Willow, who smiled.
No laughter came from Lacey. The snake Sonia had conjured was a cottonmouth, usually found in the Florida Everglades. She’d seen one once on an Eco tour and had a healthy respect for the reptile. Most times they shied away from people and weren’t aggressive.
But this one had been pulled out of its comfortable living space and plopped into a threatening, unfamiliar environment. The sucker was huge, too, at least 50 inches long.
Coiling, the snake hissed and opened its mouth, showing its fangs. Not good. So not good.
“Snakey,” Sonia sang out, standing and toddling toward the reptile. “Hi snakey!”
Thankfully Ciara returned from the shop and saw what was happening. “Sonia, put that snake back in the swamp right now.”
The toddler shook her head, making her curls bounce. “No. Snakes are beautiful.”
Hissing, the water moccasin slid closer to the children, who shrieked and huddled in the corner. Willow’s smile grew wider and she blinked, her pupils growing slitted.
Confused, Lacey backed toward the children in the corner, staring at Willow. Shifter children never showed signs of magick before puberty.
With a hiss herself, Willow flicked a finger and the snake ignored Sonia and slithered toward the terrified children. Never had she seen a snake move that quickly.
Lacey did the only thing she could – she flung herself onto the floor as a barrier between the snake and the children. Hissing, the copperhead drew back and then lunged.
Bright pain exploded on her arm. Suddenly the snake vanished. Through a haze of agony, she saw Sonia wail in Ciara’s arms.
Willow was gone.
“Miss Lacey,” Billy cried out. “It bit you! I told you snakes were bad!”
Two puncture wounds on her right arm began to swell and redden. “It’s okay.” She had to reassure Billy or the other children would never accept snake shifter children.
Because by now she realized Willow was not an ordinary shifter child.
“It was provoked by something, Billy. Snakes aren’t bad.” Lacey bit her lip against the fire racing down her arm. What the hell was wrong with her? She was a dragon and dragons were immune, or so she’d been told, to other reptiles.
Sonia wailed. “I sorry!”
“Xavier!” Ciara shouted. “Get here right now. I need you.”
She wouldn’t die, but damn, it hurt like a bitch, like someone stabbed her with a hot knife over and over. And yet instinctively she knew Sonia, who was obviously a wicked smart baby in addition to being a wizard’s child, would listen to her mother the next time. Sonia didn’t need a second lesson.
A bright flash of white smoke and a bearded wizard with black hair materialized, concern etched on his handsome face. Though he dressed in a conservative dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, she recognized him.
The wizard from the swamp where she and Evie had gone to gather the lilies for the dragonspice potion.
He rushed over to Ciara, picked up Sonia. “What’s wrong?
Worry lines dented his brow. He cooed to the wailing baby. “Hush, sweetheart.”
“It’s not us, honey. Sonia conjured a copperhead and it bit Lacey.” Ciara pointed to her.
Suddenly she remembered why Ciara and Sonia seemed so familiar. They too, had been in the swamp where she did not belong. No wonder Sonia adored reptiles.
Damn, I’m in trouble now.
Giving Sonia over to her mother, Xavier strode over to Lacey and crouched down. He took her arm, wincing as he examined it.
“I’m a dragon, a fellow reptile.” She managed a rueful smile. “I’ll survive. Like a nip from my cousin.”
Xavier frowned. “I’m afraid not. That arm looks bad. I’ll draw out the poison with magick.”
“Honey, shouldn’t you call Drust?” Ciara asked. “He’s a dragon, too.”
Relief filled her. Not that she didn’t trust this Xavier, who was obviously Ciara’s mate and Sonia’s daddy. But Drust was familiar and a dragon himself. He knew her kind.
Xavier chanted some words and Drust appeared instantly. He took one look at them and rushed over.
“No.” Drust seized Xavier’s hand. “Don’t try your magick. You will make it worse.”
Xavier sat back on his haunches and waited.
With extreme gentleness, Drust picked up her arm. The wound had turned an ugly red and seeped blood. “Ah Lacey, Lacey. In trouble once more. Maybe if you weren’t so undernourished.”
“Critic.” But she labored to breathe and her stomach was swirling with nausea. “Why is this happening to me?”
“Your human half is overshadowing your dragon magick, which is why the venom is affecting you.” Drust felt her pulse.
“Thanks Dr. Drust. Got a solution?”
“Always the sarcasm.” But he smiled. Then the smile dropped. “I’m afraid you won’t like it. I need to bleed it out of you.”
Panic surged. “What First Aid class did you take, wizard? That’s an old wives tale. It’s not going to do squat.”
Xavier and Drust exchanged glances.
“For Skins, yes, it’s not advisable. But for dragons, the answer is to bleed you out, and then replenish your dragon magick so the venom will be muted. Xavier, you will need a fresh towel and a blade.”
“Good thinking. I don’t trust you with a knife, Drust,” she muttered. “Not after you threatened to turn me into toad food.”
He chuckled, and then turned serious. “We need to do this now, before the venom invades your internal organs and compromises your dragon magick. It is already compromised by too-little nutrition.”
Trust never came easily to her. But what choice did she have? Lacey looked around and saw the traumatized children standing nearby.
“The kids,” she managed to say. “Don’t want them to see.”
Tara and Ciara ushered the children into the coffee shop. Kneeling beside her, Xavier conjured a dagger. Light winked off the shiny blade. Lacey gulped.
“I’m afraid this is going to hurt,” he said softly.
“Do it.”
Sitting behind her, Drust wrapped his left arm around her waist, his free hand holding her arm steady. She leaned against him, feeling his strength and muscled body. His embrace felt soothing. Maybe she was a screw-up at times, but she felt he wouldn’t hurt her. Not deliberately.
The dagger slashed and she bit back a scream from the agony. Blood welled up, bright and flowing freely down her arm. Xavier held a towel beneath her arm to catch the flow.
“Let it bleed for at least a minute.” Drust continued to hold her, his chin resting on her shoulder.
Snapping his fingers, Xavier made the dagger vanish. “You didn’t make a sound.”
“I don’t scream.” She’d learned that long ago with Melanie’s beatings.
Just as she started to feel light-headed, Drust
touched her arm and the wound healed. Warmth spread through her arm and her entire body.
“I guess I’m going to live. Thanks.” She studied the skin, no signs of puncture wounds or the laceration Xavier had made.
“For now.” Drust released her. “We shall deal with the issues of your depleted dragon magick later, Lacey. There are a few ways a wizard may replenish it. One is a potion.”
“I bet it tastes like toad food.” She stuck out her tongue. “What’s the second choice?”
Drust and Xavier exchanged knowing glances again.
Xavier grinned slyly. “The other way is much more enjoyable and involves you getting naked.”
“With me,” Drust added.
Crimson flushed her face again as the men chuckled. “Toad food doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Come now, Lacey, sex with me could be quite pleasurable.” He winked and she rolled her eyes.
“Typical guy. Just because we had a moment you think it means you can get laid.”
“You had a moment? What kind of moment? Was it longer than a moment?” Xavier looked interested.
Suddenly Drust frowned as if he no longer wished to discuss the subject. “X, do go get your mate and child. I am certain you wish to address what Sonia did. Ask Tara to bring Lacey a strong cup of chamomile tea.”
When the Crystal Wizard returned with Ciara, Sonia in his arms, Lacey struggled to her feet as Drust helped to pull her upright. But when she stood, she dropped his hand.
His touch didn’t center her anymore. It electrified her now that she felt better, and warned her they were getting close. Too close. Still, her legs felt wobbly and when they started shaking, Drust slid an arm around her waist. He guided her over to the reading chair, where she sat with a grateful sigh.
“You’re healed. Thank the goddess.’ Tears clouded Ciara’s lovely blue eyes. “I am so sorry, Lacey. Our daughter is… I should have warned you. We won’t be returning.”
Reassurance, not blame, was needed. “She’s a handful, but please, I’m fine. And I would love for you to return. Sonia’s a bright child.”
THE MATING CLAIM: Werewolves of Montana Book 14 Page 11