by Kimber White
“I’m not going to let this go,” he said. “Not when there’s a thief among us. I will find out who it is. You better pray it’s not your boy toy, sister.”
I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. Boy toy was not the phrase I’d use to describe Loch. Still, some of the things my brother said stung. I didn’t believe for a minute Loch was capable of thievery. But, he still had secrets. I had yet to ask him about the photo he kept of my dad. I hated to admit it, but my brother was right about one thing. There was more to Loch than met the eye.
I would ask him. On my terms.
“You’ve said your piece,” I said. “I told you you can talk to Loch tomorrow after his shift if you need to. I won’t stop you. If there’s someone stealing from the family, I want them found as much as you do. That’s the truth, Will. You know it.”
He let out a breath, but his tail receded. I really did hate fighting with Will. I hated it worse when he was right. I just knew in my heart he was wrong about Loch. Now I just had to figure out a way to tell my family who he really was.
Again, I felt Loch hovering high above. I wondered how much of this he’d heard.
“All right, little sister,” Will said. “You win for tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow though. In the meantime, just...don’t forget you’re a Yeager first.”
My head reared back as if his words carried weight. Did Will know? Did he already suspect? For now, there was nothing I could do but hope. And ask Loch a few more questions.
Chapter Fourteen
Loch
“They think I what?” Ash sat on the embankment, dipping her toes in the stream. Her skin shimmered in the moonlight and I used my fire to keep her warm.
“It’ll blow over,” she said. “Probably. But, Dad and Will are certain somebody has taken gold from them. And it’s a lot.”
“Ash, look at me. You know it wasn’t me. I’ve never even set foot on either of their jobsites. There’s no way anyone could have even seen me there. Because I wasn’t. Plus, I didn’t take their gold. I have no need for it.”
She shot me a look. Ash knew I was holding back. I just had to figure out a way to tell her so she would understand. I justified it to myself knowing I’d never set out to lie to her. I never bargained for the fact that Avelina’s mission would put me right in the path of my fated mate. Still, it ate at me that Ash didn’t know everything about me.
“I have to ask you something,” she said, turning to face me. “And I have to confess something. The other day, I came looking for you. No. That’s not exactly true. I came to your trailer. You weren’t there. I looked through some of your things. I’m not saying I’m proud of it, but this was before...ugh. I know it sounds awful. It’s just...Loch...you have a picture of my father. Why?”
I felt hollow inside. If ever there was a moment to come clean, it was now. “Ash,” I said. “There are things…”
She put a hand on my chest, stopping me. I couldn’t read her mind. Not yet. That might come much later if she chose to take my mark. And only then, if she opened to it. But, I think she saw something in my eyes. She knew what I was about to say could hurt her. It could change things. It would change everything.
“I want to fly,” she said. “Is that dangerous?”
I swallowed hard. We had only an hour or two until daybreak. Each second I spent with her, I felt time was running out. She would have to tell her family about me somehow. I would have to tell mine about hers. I knew things would grow so much more complicated then. For my part, I may have to make a choice.
For now, I wouldn’t even let that thought fully form. Ash couldn’t read my mind either, but she was already becoming attuned to my moods. She’d asked me a question about myself. The answer would be hard to hear. She wanted this instead. For now.
“No,” I said. “I can keep you safe.”
“Then take me,” she said. “How far can we go?”
I smiled and came to her. I took the hand she’d pressed against my chest and brought it to my lips. “Baby, I can take you around the world and back. But that would take some time. We could settle for down the coast.”
“Yes!” she gasped. “I want to see that!”
We’d come to the deepest part of the woods, too closed in for me to shift without taking out a dozen trees. I took Ash’s hand and led her to a clearing at the top of a steep hill.
“Wait here,” I said. I stepped away from her, heading a little further down the hill. Her dark hair caught in the breeze as I looked up at her and let my dragon out. My wings burst forth. Ash’s mouth formed a round “o” as she watched. She’d seen it before, but never this close. Never without me trying to cloak myself from others. My scales rippled and I let out a chuff of air, sending fire across the ground.
Ash was unafraid. She came toward me. She looked so small, but so trusting. She ran her fingers along the webbing of my wings. I saw myself through her eyes. My scales shimmered gold and silver, blue and green. I thumped my tail on the ground. I jerked my chin, beckoning her to fit herself into the space beneath my right wing. There, she could feel the core of my heat and she would never burn.
“You’re so beautiful,” she said. “I’ve known you all along. It’s so silly. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize it.”
It’s always been the same for me. I sent my thoughts to her. She smiled.
I bent my neck until our eyes were level. My itch to fly grew. Ash felt it. I dipped my body and extended my wing. Ash found a foothold and climbed to my back. She straddled me, holding tight to one of the triangular, ridged scales on my neck. She was safe. She was secure.
Ash let out a scream of delight as I vaulted off the ground.
I went slowly at first, gliding over the treetops. From here, she could see her father’s claim in the distance. The lake and stream glittered beneath the stars.
I felt Ash dig her heels into me as if she were coaxing a horse to gallop. Low laughter rumbled through me. My Ash wanted it wild. Still, I would fly gently. It was her first time, after all.
I banked left and headed for the coast. Gaining speed, we passed over the snow-crested mountains bordering Alaska to the Gulf. I flew along the coast, heading north. It was so cold here. Frost tipped my wings. Long ago, I’d heard legends of the ice dragons who ruled here. My people came from the other side of the world. Scotland. I let out a blast of fire to warm us both.
Going even faster, I took her west, over the Bering Sea. I felt Ash’s heartbeat quicken, thrilled by the rush of air. At this altitude, in this climate, she should have frozen, but my heat protected us both.
“Faster!” she cried.
My Ash had no fear. I was careful with her, but I dipped and rolled, banking hard right as I made the turn back toward Canada.
She wanted it higher, faster, farther. I hoped I’d get the chance to show her the world through my eyes. I hoped she could understand everything that I was, everything that I came from. But first, I had to start with one simple truth.
Ash felt the shift in me. I pulled up and began to descend. I could still see the embers from the bonfire her crew had lit early last evening. The site was quiet now. Fully cloaked, no one would be able to see us.
I set Ash gently down in front of her trailer and shifted. She held the door open for me and I followed her in.
“Here,” she said, tossing me a pair of men-sized overalls she kept on a hook behind the door. I wanted to stay with her here tonight. I wanted her to wake up in my arms. But, there was work to be done, and I knew Ash worried about what the rest of the crew might say. Hell, they were already saying it.
“That was...my God. Loch...it was magic.”
I smiled as I went to her. “Just a little bit of dragon magic. I want to take you so much farther. I hope you’ll let me.”
She smoothed the hair out of my eyes. “Why wouldn’t I let you?”
I kissed her palm. “You asked me a question. You deserve an answer.”
Nodding, Ash led me to the breakfast n
ook at the front of her trailer. She took a seat and waited for me.
“I’m not sure where to start,” I said.
“You’re not really Loch Branson,” she said. “Are you?”
I reared back as if she’d slapped me. I’d underestimated how much Ash had already figured out for herself. I’m not sure why. And yet, here she was, ready to give me the benefit of the doubt.
“My name is Loch,” I said. “But it’s Brandhart.”
She nodded, not seeming to mind the lie. She explained. “You wouldn’t be the first man to come to the Yukon looking to shed his past, Loch.”
That was just it. It was my past that rooted me here. It was my father’s past that could destroy what I had with Ash.
“The Brandharts are the last of the dragons,” I said.
“I figured that much out, Loch. And I know the stories. I know you got mixed up in the witch and shifter wars. I know nobody can even remember who did worse things to the other side. I’m interested in the here and now. So, what’s a dragon like you doing in a place like this?” She smiled and her eyes sparked with mischief.
“I came here looking for your father,” I said.
“For a job. You said.”
I dropped my head. I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t tell her my mother had ordered his assassination. It wasn’t going to happen now. I would stop it. I would make Avelina understand somehow. And I wanted to do it before I told Ash all of it.
“Yes. A job. My mother sent me here to find your father. My family...well...I suppose you can google us. We’ve made a little bit of a name for ourselves in Chicago specifically.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Loch, how old are you?”
Ash’s instincts were deadly. I welcomed the chance to steer the conversation away from my family vendetta. It was over now. Ash changed everything. I would not allow a Brandhart to harm a Yeager. Even if it meant Ash and I had to live somewhere else. But, now wasn’t the time to decide all that. One thing at a time.
“Three hundred years and change,” I said, smiling.
She let out a low whistle. “Well then...holy...do you mean to say if I...if we…”
Of course Ash knew enough about shifters and fated mates to suspect what I was about to say. “I’m not immortal. And neither would my mate be. But, yes. Mating with a dragon would theoretically...er...add a few years to your life expectancy.”
“How long?”
I raised a brow. “Well, I don’t actually know. A mated dragon can live a thousand years or so. My mother is in her nine hundreds. But an unmated dragon…”
Her face dropped. “An unmated dragon will die and go mad. Just like every other kind of shifter.”
“No,” I said, my tone sharp. “Not anything like a regular shifter. Not even close. An unmated Alpha bear will lose his mind and maybe take out a tree or two. A dragon? With my power…”
She closed her eyes. God help her, she could see it. She’d flown with me. She felt my fire. “It would be like an atom bomb,” she said. “Jesus.” Her eyes snapped open and she reached for my hands.
“You were losing control,” she said. “I brought you back. If we don’t mate…”
“It’s not on you,” I said. “I would never ever put that on you. If we mate, it will be for love. It’ll be your choice. I won’t take you if you think it’s just to save me.”
“Then what happens?”
I grew still as stone. “Then my brothers know what to do.”
A shiver went through Ash. I hadn’t meant to scare her. I just wanted her to know the truth.
“I’d like to meet them,” she said. “Your brothers. Your mother. I want to know where you come from. I think I’ve seen it. A volcano. Green hills and flatlands. Where is it? Scotland?”
Desire flared through me. “The Scottish Highlands, yes. And I do want to take you there. Soon. First, I have to figure out how to tell my family about you. Let’s just say you’ll come as as much of a shock to them as I will to yours.”
Ash’s face fell. “Right. My family. They currently think you’re a thieving drifter and a con man.”
I resisted the urge to tell her at least half of that was true. But, there was a commotion outside. The sun began to rise.
“Shit,” Ash said, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve got to get out there. You’ve got to get out there. If you disappear again, it’ll just solidify my brother’s suspicions. And I’m due in town. Rick and I are heading to Anchorage to take a look at a new dozer. You think you can behave yourself and handle the crew today?”
I leaned in to kiss her. There was a sharp knock on her trailer door.
“That’ll be Rick,” she whispered. “Dammit. I was hoping to sneak you out of here before the boys showed up.”
“Just go,” I said. “I can take care of myself. I’ll find you later tonight. We’ll talk some more.”
I pulled her to me, bringing her between my legs. I cupped her ass and my lust stirred. So did hers.
“I’ll be gone until tomorrow morning. We’re chartering a plane, but it’s still going to take a few hours there and back to fly. I mean...for us mere humans and polar bear shifters.”
I growled, hating the idea of being separated from her for that long. But, it would also give me a chance to fly home and have a meeting with my family. I was counting on my brothers to have my back. Gideon, Xander, and Finn had all found mates whose connections initially threatened us. They would understand. I’d make them.
“There will be plenty of time to let you ride me in style when you get back,” I said nipping her ear.
Rick knocked even louder. “Ash, get a move on. The plane’s waiting!”
“Coming!” she said. I swatted her ass.
As Ash opened the door and looked back at me, I gave her a wink as she left.
Chapter Fifteen
Loch
Twenty-four hours without Ash would feel like an eternity. All I could do was busy myself with work. The rest of the crew mostly steered clear of me. I got plenty of dirty looks, but didn’t care. No matter what else happened, I could leave the claim whenever Ash thought it was best.
Still, as I worked the equipment and dug pay dirt, I liked it. This was good, strong work. I could smell the gold in the ground. I knew in my gut that Ash’s weekly cleanup would be even bigger on Sunday. And I could taste the richer gold in the air. It was just across the stream.
I meant to ask Avelina about it. Surely other dragons had found success mining gold in days gone by. It was so simple. It was like a new sense I never realized I had. I felt born for this work in a way. Or, maybe it was just the presence of Ash. Still, working the claim felt more natural to me than anything I did for the family in Chicago. I could see myself staying here, maybe even making a life with Ash on a claim of our own.
For once, things went smoothly that day. No trucks broke down. The wash plant hummed along. I lost track of time and worked all the way through lunch.
I made up my mind that as soon as the sun went down, I’d fly to Chicago and gather the family. Shae, Grace, and Gemma deserved to hear what I had to say as well. It affected them just as much. It meant I might not make it back before morning. Though I hated to stay away from Ash for even a second longer than I had to, this was important. Our future depended on it.
Quitting time came and I jumped down from my truck. A quick shower and I’d be on my way. None of the guys said a single word to me as we all clocked out for the day. Fine. Let them suspect what they wanted. When the time came, it only mattered that the rest of the Yeagers believed the truth.
After I’d changed, I called Gideon. He answered right away.
“You turn into a lumberjack yet?” he asked.
“It’s a gold mine, idiot,” I said. “How’re things in the city?”
“Oh, the usual. Putting out fires left and right. It’s good though. Gemma’s about a week from delivering. Avelina’s getting restless. Did you finish what you went out there for?”
&nb
sp; I let out a sigh. “Almost. But, we need a family meeting. I’m heading down tonight. I should be there in a couple of hours. Can you get everyone together? Gemma too if she feels up for it.”
Gideon hesitated. “Uh, sure. Is everything all right?”
“It’s good. I just want to loop the family in before I make my next move.”
“Got it. Yeah. Your timing is good. Everyone’s staying in the city tonight anyway. Just get your ass back here and I’ll handle the rest.”
“Thanks. See you soon.”
I clicked off and slid my phone in my bag. I would travel light tonight. I debated texting Ash to tell her my plans. But, with any luck, I’d have a huge chunk of the uncertainty between us resolved before I saw her again. I’d explain it all then.
Stinky hadn’t come back yet, so I locked the door behind me. I hit the locks on my truck. My plan was to drive a few miles away from the claim then fly the rest of the way.
The air changed when I got a few feet from the truck. Eyes glinted in the shadows. My back went up and my talons came out.
All around me, shifters closed in. Rick. Stinky. The entire crew. They formed a circle of threat, blocking my path.
“Time for a talk,” a deep voice said. Clint Yeager emerged from the line. His tiger eyes flashed and black stripes appeared across his body. He was spoiling for a fight.
Time seemed to rewind. For an instant, it wasn’t Clint Yeager before me. I saw through my father’s eyes as Christoph Jeger bore down on him. I saw the final, fatal swipe of his deadly claw as my father was held paralyzed; an arrow tipped with dragonstone pierced his heart.
Will Yeager’s tiger stalked beside his father. He bared his fangs and snapped his jaw. Several of the other men shifted into their beasts. Wolf. Bear. Jaguar. Panther. They closed the circle.
None of them alone was a match for me. Even as a group, I could shift, take flight and leave them all behind. But, if I did it, they would see me for who I really was. A dragon. They would know. And Ash would never forgive me if I hurt her father and brother.