Awakening The Dragon (Exiled Dragons Book 9)

by Sarah J. Stone

  “How so?” he asked her.

  “For reasons that probably none of us are capable of understanding, Dawn has a very strong bond with Liam. It is a bond he shares. To try to distance the two of them would only cause them to want to be together all the more and Dawn would blame you for keeping her friend from her. It is better to let their friendship run its course, whatever that might be.”

  “I’m not sure it is fit for the son of a dragon leader to be in such close bonds with a half human. I know that is old-fashioned, but I have my reservations.”

  It was Kergot that spoke next, his silence having become deafening in his inability to even respond to Aaron’s unfounded concerns.

  “People always fear what is different. It is that kind of thinking that leads to hate and violence. It is precisely the kind of bigotry that led Penelope to lose her ability to shift. People she trusted turned on her out of fear of what she could do that they couldn’t understand.”

  “I do not feel that I am bigoted,” Aaron said a bit indignantly.

  “No one ever does, but your thinking is exactly what leads to the masses following your lead, and it gets out of control to the point that they act on their own accord, against what your wishes truly were, because they have misconstrued your misgivings. Is that what you want for this village? Because Pene and I came back here with the understanding that you wanted to issue this village into the future, not push it further into the past.”

  Aaron looked down again, obviously ashamed of his behavior. It was obvious that Kergot’s words, though stern for someone addressing a dragon leader, rang true with him. Penelope saw him nod his head and look back up toward them.

  “You are right, Kergot. I am sorry. I think you are exactly right when you say I am merely afraid of that which I don’t understand. Perhaps embracing the differences and learning more about them is the answer.”

  “Knowledge is always the answer,” Kergot told him a bit more softly.

  “I can see that the children aren’t the only one in this village that require some education. I thank you for helping me see my way clear of such negative, unproductive thoughts.”

  “You are welcome,” Kergot replied.

  “I’ll let you get back to your work,” Aaron told them.

  Kergot and Penelope said their goodbyes, waiting for him to leave before turning to one another with raised eyebrows.

  “I would have never expected such a thing from him,” Penelope said.

  “I did. He’s been stewing over it for a while. Each time we have an event here for the kids, and he is present, I see him watching Dawn and Liam, the wheels turning in regard to what it means.”

  “And, do you think he gets it now?”

  “No, not entirely. He understood that his thinking was narrow-minded, but I don’t think he is yet convinced that it is entirely wrong. He is concerned about the dragon leader’s line being bastardized by other species. Some part of him wants to be progressive and usher in a new day, but another clings to the old ways of our village.”

  “They are just children, though. As time passes, they may very well grow apart. Why worry about it?”

  “Because he knows that is not true. He’s seen the bond between them. It’s unusual, but those children have bonded with one another for life. I cannot tell you if that will evolve into marriage and family or merely a lifelong friendship at this point, but I can tell you that they will never be parted, not in life and not in death.”

  “How can you know that?”

  “I can see it in Dawn’s thoughts. Liam never leaves her. If she cannot see him, she is thinking about him and where he is. He is her priority, over everything.”

  “I wonder why?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know if even she knows, but I understand that even at her tender age, she knows she cannot be without him, and there must be a reason for that. If we live long enough, perhaps we will see the answer for ourselves someday.”

  “I suppose we might. For now, I guess it will remain one of life’s great mysteries. Shall we get back to work?”

  “I think we should. We have to find corners to covertly cut,” he said, laughing at his alliteration.

  “Right,” Pene laughed, kissing him on the cheek as they went their separate ways to finish up their day.

  CHAPTER 25

  Over the years, they had lost many friends in their new home, including the woman who had first greeted them upon their arrival. It had been a sad day when they had watched Cassi Baker sent off to be with her maker, but both were happy that she was finally free of the burdens that they had come to understand she had known during her long lifetime.

  Her descendant, Kara and her husband, Thomas, had become good friends, as had those associated with the young couple. Though Kergot and Penelope were a good bit older, they had developed a warm relationship with all of their new neighbors. The biggest pain that they had felt in all those years was their inability to have children, no doubt another result of the potion that had taken Penelope’s shifting capabilities.

  It was their love for children and their lack of having any of their own that had driven them to continue on in the school they had built in the village. Instead of one child or two, they had hundreds, each loving them just as deeply as they were loved by the couple into whose care their parents saw fit to trust them.

  Among their favorite pupils continued to be the young shifter named Dawn McCord, who Kergot developed a kindred spirit with upon learning that they shared a common bond as half humans. Of course, one could not be friends with Dawn unless one was also friends with young Liam Donnelly, who’d clung to her for as long as they had known the pair of children

  It was commonly accepted that they were life mates, though unusual for such a strong bond to occur at such an early age. It had been Penelope’s understanding that they had been bound at the hip from the time they were mere toddlers. Like Kergot, Dawn would possess certain gifts as a half human that others did not, though it remained to be seen what those gifts might be.

  There were still rules in place that forbade the youngsters from being together if young Liam were to ever take his father’s place as dragon leader, but time would tell if that changed or if he perhaps would be willing to give it up for his love. Of course, they were also young, and there was the chance that they would grow out of their love for one another as they developed into adults. It was intriguing to watch their interaction, if nothing else.

  It was one day when Penelope was standing just outside the classroom door, on her way to see Kergot, when she had stopped in her tracks, listening to the conversation taking place between him and Dawn.

  “Can you teach me to read minds like you do?” Dawn asked him out of the blue one day.

  “How do you know that I can do that?” he asked, confused that she was even aware of the ability.

  “I know everything about people,” she responded with a dismissive shrug.

  “Like what?” he asked.

  “I know that you came here because you were afraid people would hurt Penelope. You didn’t care about yourself, but you were afraid for her. You are still very sad about her.”

  “Sad? Why would you think I am sad, Dawn? I love Penelope and can’t imagine my life without her.”

  “I know you do, but you are still sad for her. You are sad that you can’t give her back her dragon. You are sad that you can’t give her babies of her own.”

  “How could you know that? Did you hear your parents speak of it?”

  “No. I told you. I know everything, but I can’t read people’s thoughts like you do, and I can’t talk to Liam like you talk to Penelope, you know . . . without words.”

  “How do you know such things, Dawn?” he asked again, sounding a little unsettled, which was very unusual for him, to say the least.

  “I don’t know. I just do. When I touch people, I see what is inside of them. I know what they know. I can tell you everything they have done.”

  “That is amazi
ng. What else do you know about me?”

  Penelope moved closer to the door, careful not to disrupt the conversation and feeling bad about eavesdropping, but unable to walk away from the conversation unfolding. She could see Dawn step closer, putting her small hand upon Kergot’s and looking up at him.

  “I know that you loved your parents very much, but you lost them when you were very young. Your mother was human. She died when she grew too old to survive, just as my mother will,” Dawn said, her voice faltering just a bit as she spoke the words aloud.

  Penelope contemplated how horrible it must be to be so young and know so much already. Was this a blessing or a curse that had been visited upon the young girl?

  “Yes, that is true.”

  “You miss her very much.”

  “I do.”

  “Your father was heartbroken when she died. You saw his heartache, and it affected you, made you afraid to be with people. That is why you stayed in Scotland, even when everyone else left you behind and moved here. You stayed with him until he died, and then you still stayed with the pain it left for you.”

  “Okay, I think that is enough,” Kergot told her softly, pulling his hand away.”

  “Don’t worry, Kergot. You will never be alone again.”

  “Thank you for that, Dawn. Listen. Perhaps it might be best if you keep this ability to yourself for now?”

  “I know. There are bad people in our village. I know who they are, and I know they would hurt me if I told on them.”

  Kergot said nothing, just looked at her as if unsure how to respond to that. After a few moments, he nodded and ruffled her hair.

  “Bad people will eventually get what is coming to them.”

  “Yes. They will. I will make sure of it,” she said non-chalantly before turning and skipping toward the door.

  She didn’t even seem to take note of Penelope as she passed by, but that was wrong as halfway down the hallway she stopped and turned back toward her to smile before leaving the school.

  “Kergot?” Penelope said cautiously as she stepped into the room.

  “Oh, Penelope. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “What was that all about?” she asked him.

  “Did you overhear it?” he asked, though the look on his face told her he could read her thoughts and knew she did.

  “Yes,” she told him.

  “Tell no one. She doesn’t realize what danger she puts herself in if people become aware of the gift she possesses.”

  “I don’t think she feels fear,” Penelope responded.

  “I am afraid you might be right and fear is sometimes the only thing that saves people. I know I feel fear even at my age. I fear so much, and it serves me well to be wary.”

  “Very strange. Well, anyway, school is out, and I was coming to collect you for dinner. We have plans to eat with some of the elders from the dragon council. I think they want to talk to you about sitting on it with them.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not? We are a part of this community. Are you not due a position that gives you some say into what happens here in this village like everyone else?”

  “Perhaps, but I don’t want it. My only concern here is for you and our lives together. The council can take care of all the politics it takes to keep the place ticking over on a daily basis.”

  “Well, it is ultimately up to you, but it can’t hurt to at least listen to them, can it?”

  “I suppose not. Alright. We’ll go get changed and go.”

  “Very good.”

  CHAPTER 26

  It was no surprise when the dinner turned to talks of council matters, and Thomas asked that Kergot join them, to take the post abandoned when their eldest member had recently passed away.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I just can’t. I am in no way fit to hold on to such a seat in such a place of importance.”

  “What would make you say that?”

  “I just know that it is not what is best for me that is all. We all have our place and mine is in the school, with the children, not on this council deciding matters about drinking water and building codes.”

  “Is that all you think we do?” one of them laughed.

  “No. I am sure I am oversimplifying,” Kergot responded.

  “Perhaps you are,” Thomas said lightheartedly.

  “Why not consider your own brother for the post or perhaps one of the McCord brothers?”

  “One McCord brother desires the post no more than you do, and both my brother, Josh and Owen McCord are married to humans, which denies them a seat on the council.”

  “Your wife is half tiger shifter, is she not?”

  “Quite a bit less given her long lineage, but close enough. Why?”

  “What is the difference in being half human and being part tiger shifter?”

  “An exception was made because I was already on the council.”

  “My wife, for all purposes, might as well be half human. She has lost her ability to shift. She has lost her ability to bear children. These things were taken from her by humans. I could stand here and say that I hate all humans because of it. As a matter of fact, I’ve good reason to say such a thing for more reasons that that,” Kergot began to say.

  “Kergot,” Penelope whispered urgently, trying to get him to back off.

  “No. It needs to be said, Pene,” he told her, turning back to Thomas.

  “We all coexist in this place, our secret life away from the humans that might harm us, but even here, we all have our differences. I watch my wife cry sometimes because she feels like less of a dragon shifter than those of us around her. Do you not think that the human mates feel her pain too? Do you not think your own wife feels pain at being different than others, viewed as a freak by some?”

  Penelope caught sight of something moving behind the curtains that sat near the large table at which they all were eating. The McCord brothers stood quietly nearby, saying nothing, not even looking towards those that spoke. The curtains moved again as Penelope glanced back in that direction.

  “I suppose I’ve never considered how the mates of my brothers feel. That is their place to suppose how their wives view the world and to make them as comfortable and happy as possible. As for my own mate, she has never expressed such a concern to me,” he said, reaching for his wife’s hand and giving it a little squeeze.

  “Perhaps it is time that you did so,” Kergot replied, rising from the table and making his excuses to leave.

  Penelope saw the ripple in the curtain again and turned her head toward it, watching it. The people at the table stood and looked in that direction as well. Suddenly, giggles echoed throughout the room as a pair of mischievous children darted out and across the room.

  “Dawn! Liam! What are you doing in here? You are supposed to be in the nursery!” Aaron Donnelly suddenly roared at them from where he had sat silently at one end of the table allowing the discussion to take place without his interference.

  “We are playing hide and go seek!” Liam said, still smiling broadly at his father as he reached for Dawn’s hand in solidarity.

  “Go back to the nursery and play it there!” Aaron commanded them.

  “You are no fun!” Dawn exclaimed defiantly at the dragon leader.

  “Dawn! Do not disrespect your elders!” her father told her, stepping out from where he stood guard nearby. “Get back to the nursery!”

  Dawn looked dejected as she slumped her shoulders and pulled Liam along with her toward the stairs that led back down to the nursery. On the way, she paused and looked up at Kergot smiling. He looked back at her, confused by what he perceived as some amusement on her behalf. Instead, she turned toward Penelope, taking her hand in her own and stroking it softly.

  “You are going to be a wonderful mother,” she told her happily.

  Penelope looked stricken, jerking her hand away from the small girl. How could she be so cruel as to say such a thing or did she simply not understand that such a thing wa
s impossible for her? Perhaps she had not heard all of the conversation that had taken place only moments ago.

  “Dawn! Out!” her father barked at her before turning back to Penelope with a look of disdain in his eyes.

  “Penelope, I am so sorry. She is just a child and doesn’t know any better!” he told her.

  “It’s okay, Owen. I know she doesn’t,” she told him.

  “Let’s go home,” Kergot said tersely. “I think we’ve had enough fun for one night.”

  There was silence as they exited the large dining hall and returned to their own house on the other side of the village. Neither spoke about what Dawn had said to them, deciding it was just something they should let go.

  They made their way to the bedroom and got undressed in silence, but no sleep came. Instead, they reached for one another in the darkness, finding their way into a deep embrace and passionate kiss. Time stood still, as it always seemed to when they were in one another’s arms.

  Soon, Kergot was moving down her body, taking away any remnants of pain she might be feeling. He drove his tongue inside her, setting off an incredible, earth-shattering moan that resonated throughout the room. She was his instrument to play, so finely tuned, and if he touched her right, she made the most glorious sounds—raw, intense, absolutely delicious noises of pleasure as he plundered her with his tongue.

  “I want you so badly,” he told her.

  Penelope grabbed his hair, yanked, and pulled him closer as he’d told her once he loved for her to do. He thrust one finger inside her, crooking it and hitting her in the spot that turned her moans into one long, high-pitched orgasm. She shuddered against him, her legs quaking, and when he finally slowed to look up at her, he saw her hair was a wild tumble, and her face was glowing.

  “Take me, Kergot. Take me like you did that first night we were together,” she told him, and he was only too happy to comply with her wishes.”

  Their lovemaking lasted for hours, well into the wee hours of morning when they finally collapsed into an exhausted sleep. It was here in his arms that she felt most peaceful, and the events of last night were already far from her mind. As they rose to face the day, they showered and dressed for school.