by Kimber White
My mother’s sight came into me like the force of a gut punch. She let me in. My father lay dying. Suffering. My mother held him in her arms. She’d shown me this once before. I heard her whispered promise of revenge. This time, I saw my father’s eyes slowly open and fill with love as he gazed upon my mother’s face.
“You’ll know what to do when the time is right,” he whispered. Then, the light and the life went out of him.
Time stopped. Will’s tiger dropped back. No one dared breathe. The sound of my mother’s sob filled the cavern as she covered her face with her hands and let go.
Ash got to her first. She sank to her knees in front of my mother. Avelina reached for her, placing her hands over Ash’s womb. The energy bounced to me like an electric shock. I saw what she saw. Ash. My love. My mate.
“No more Jegers,” Ash whispered. “No more pain. It’s just us now. Brandhart. Yeager. She’s part of us both.”
She.
My mother slowly nodded. Finn helped her to her feet. Andre came to her side, smiling. He turned to Lucia. Ash’s mother was crying too.
“What the hell just happened?” Clint said. Lucia was the first to laugh.
“Come on,” she said to her husband. “Let’s get the hell out of this cave and I’ll explain it to you.”
Finn, Gideon, Xander, Andre, and Will followed them out. That left me, Ash, and my mother with a few moments alone. I gathered Ash in my arms. I closed my eyes and listened.
It was there. I heard my heart beating and Ash’s right along with it. But, under it, faint and strong, I heard the third heartbeat and knew my daughter for the first time.
“I’m so sorry,” Avelina said, through her tears. “I couldn’t see. I’d held on to pain and grief for so long. Can you ever forgive me?”
For the first time in my life, I understand how much fear and rage had held her together. And grief. She clung to it. It drove almost everything she did. Now, that grief sluiced off of her, leaving her broken in its wake. But, she would rise. She was Avelina Brandhart, after all.
I moved to answer her, to lift her off the ground, but Ash beat me to it. “It’s okay. It’s more than okay. It’s perfect. It’s time for all of us to let go and start over.”
Ash held her hand out. My mother took it. Slowly, she rose to her feet. Her tears began to dry and the hard set of her jaw came back. I was wrong. She could bend, but never be broken.
With Ash at my side, my mother on the other, the three of us...no...the four of us walked out into the light to join the rest of our family together.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ash
My parents waited for me as we came back into the woods. My father’s stern expression gave me pause. Will stood beside him. He’d shifted back but looked almost as fierce as he had in his tiger. Loch was coiled strength beside me.
“It’s all right,” I said, going up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “We faced down your mother. A couple of tigers and a wolf should be a piece of cake.”
Loch answered with a huff, but he trusted me. Loch’s brother Finn came to us, his eyes sparkling.
“Welcome to the family,” he said. “Wait until you see our holiday parties.”
There was dead silence, then I broke it with laughter. I threw my arms around him and gave my soon-to-be brother-in-law a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Then, I went to my family. My mother had a quiet smile on her face.
“Mr. Yeager,” Loch said. He was a stone mountain behind me. He kept an arm around my waist. “I hope we can move past all of this. You have my word that I will protect Ash with my life. She’ll want for nothing.”
My father’s eyes narrowed. “You think she needs your money?”
“Dad, stop,” I said. At the same time, my mother nudged him. I knew it was in him to protest further, but I think he knew he could never take on both my mother and me. Will, was a different story.
I loved my brother. He’d been my protector since as far back as I could remember. But, he was my rival too. So, when he came forward and held out his arms, my heart melted.
“I’ll see to it you keep to your word, dragon,” Will said.
I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as I hugged my brother. My mother cried too. She rested her head against my father’s shoulder. Soon, it turned into a group hug. Loch hung back and gave us a moment together.
“I love you,” my father whispered in my ear. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“I’m as sure as you and Mom were when you found each other.”
My father looked at my mother with love in his eyes. He understood. He kissed me once more and went to Loch. My father and my mate stood nearly eye to eye. Both of them formidable. Both of them ready to fight to the death to defend the ones they loved.
“And you have my word that whatever oath my ancestors swore, it died with them. As long as you stay true to my daughter, I’ll keep your secret.”
Loch and my dad shook hands. My mother slid her arm around me. “See,” she whispered. “That’s wasn’t so bad.”
I shook with laughter a second time. “Er...if that had been any worse, I think the Brandharts would have set the world on fire.”
As soon as I said it, another person joined our group. Loch’s brother Kian had quieted his dragon. Handsome and regal like the rest of the Brandhart line, Kian had a haggard appearance and pale complexion. He was sick and getting sicker. I shuddered, thinking how close Loch had been to that the first time I found him alone in the woods.
But, never again. My Loch was safe. He was mine. I put a hand over my stomach, sensing the tiny new life there. As my father went into my mother’s arms and I went to Loch, she whispered to him again. Dad’s eyes widened. I knew she’d just told him what Avelina and I had sensed about my pregnancy.
Kian stepped forward. He gave me a solemn nod. A chill went through me. I didn’t think he was capable of talking.
Avelina watched it all. She stood to the side with Andre Kalenkov and his son, Milo. I went to her. I had so many questions. In a few months, I would give birth to Loch’s child. My deepest instinct told me Avelina knew exactly what would happen. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I sensed she saw the baby, not just the pregnancy. Somehow, this woman could see bits of the future. I’d heard of other shifters having different forms of the Sight. With everything else, I knew for dragons, it was all just...bigger, more powerful.
I meant to ask her, but something stopped me. “It’s all right,” Avelina whispered, smiling. “It’s all going to be all right. When the time comes, you’ll have your mother with you. And you’ll meet Grace, Gideon’s wife. Andre’s daughter. Your baby will be like our granddaughter, Amelia. But...she’ll be something else as well.”
My heart swelled. It was a girl. I’d sensed that too. Then, Loch was back at my side.
“It’s time for me to go,” Avelina said.
“Me as well,” Andre said. He shared a knowing look with Avelina. A secret, perhaps. My father and mother said their goodbyes to the Kalenkov wolves. Then, father and son disappeared into the woods. We heard their plaintive howls as they covered ground and headed back to the Russian border.
Avelina left next. We gathered to watch. In the chaos of their abduction, my parents and Will hadn’t really seen a true dragon shift. As they watched her now, their jaws dropped.
She really was incredible. Avelina climbed a nearby hill and spread her arms. She became shimmering light and every color of the rainbow. Her giant wings unfurled and a hot breeze washed over us as she took to the air. Avelina made a graceful arc as she circled above us.
“Show off,” Finn muttered, but he was smiling.
Then, Avelina picked up speed. She let out a searing screech as she rocketed out of sight.
“We’d better get back,” my father said. “I figure the whole town’s turned upside down.”
“I’m sorry,” Loch said. “Is there anything else I can do to make things right?”
“Don’t worry,” my mother answered. “It�
�s Blackfoot. I mean, dragons are new, but shifter drama is the norm. We’ll handle it. You just take care of our girl. And hurry the hell back. There’s still gold to get out of the ground, you know.”
“About that,” I said. “Er...so it turns out dragons are also good at sniffing out gold from deep underground.”
My father’s eyes lit up. I had to suppress another laugh. He lunged forward and shook Loch’s hand again. Things were easy between them and I was glad.
“You’re not coming back to Chicago?” Xander asked Loch.
Loch rubbed my lower back. “I will soon enough. Gold season’s just a few more weeks. I like to finish the things I start. After that...well...I go where my mate wants.”
I sensed his brothers’ unease, but they were happy for Loch. I could see it in their eyes. I didn’t know everything the future held. But, I couldn’t imagine leaving Blackfoot. On the other hand, I was mated to a dragon. Travel was easy.
“So,” Finn said. “Is...uh...are we gonna just ignore whatever the hell that was with Andre and Avelina?”
The Brandhart brothers exchanged looks. My mother smiled and raised a brow.
“Oh, yeah,” Gideon said. “Definitely.”
“Did you know? Does Grace?” Loch asked.
Gideon shrugged. “No. Or at least, she hasn’t said.”
“I’m glad for them,” my mother said. “It’s good for Andre. And he’s good for your mother.”
With everything else that happened, Loch looked shocked for the first time. But, the day was getting long and my parents were right. There was a mess to clean up back in Blackfoot.
We said our goodbyes to Loch’s brothers. They each shifted and took off one by one. My parents marveled at their magic. I knew they would keep the secret. The Brandharts were their family now too.
Finally, it was time to leave. I hugged my parents. Will decided to shift and let off his own steam. He promised to meet us back home in a day or so.
“Do you have a way to make it back?” Loch asked. “I can send a car…”
“No,” my mother smiled. “It’s been a while since Clint and I took the time to run free. It’s just what we need. We’ll see you back home.”
She hugged Loch and it warmed my heart. My father gave Loch a taciturn nod, but I knew their bond would grow. Just as the tiny life inside me would.
Loch looped an arm around me. It was our turn to watch my parents shift. My mother’s silvery-gray wolf stood in shadow at the top of the hill. She let out a howl that sent a chill through me. My father joined her, his tiger loping beside her, majestic. His tail swished behind him. He watched my mother take to the woods at a full run. Then, he gave chase.
Loch kissed my cheek. “Come on, my love. It’s time for me to take you home.”
I pressed a hand to Loch’s chest. Fresh heat flooded through me and I smiled up at him. “Well, we’re all alone now. Do you suppose we might take the long way back?”
Lust lit Loch’s eyes. He let out a growl that thrilled me. Then, he gathered me in his arms and we walked into the woods.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Loch
Knoydart
The Scottish Highlands
Nine months later…
“She’s got things well in hand,” Finn said. “It’s not like this is the first time, Loch.”
I turned on my brother, roaring across the ground. Ash’s cry stopped me short. It was time. The baby was almost here.
“It’s the first time for Ash,” I said. “And it’s the first time for me.”
Finn smiled. He, Gideon, and Xander were here along with their mates. Gemma, Shae, and Grace were acting as midwives for Ash. Lucia was with her too. Clint had taken a room at a bed and breakfast in town. He and Lucia loved the place so much, they were thinking of buying a vacation home here. Things had settled back at the mine. Ash’s instincts had been right. Kincaid had been the one stealing from the crews. I knew the Yeagers were eager to get back.
“Loch!” Ash’s shout cut through me. I froze.
Gideon came to me. He put a solid hand on my shoulder. “Go to her, brother.”
I raced to the cave she’d chosen. It was a favorite spot of mine. Ash’s too now. Six months ago, I’d taken her as a bride as our families bore witness. For this though, for my daughter’s birth, it felt too primitive.
“No,” Ash had insisted. “It’s perfect. I can feel the fire here. It’s part of you. It’s part of her. It’s supposed to happen here. I dreamt it.”
Far be it for me to question my wife’s dreams. She was right about one thing. The living flame from the volcano moved through me. Our magic hid this spot from the rest of the world. The residents of Knoydart had no idea they were living near an ancient, active volcano. They were safe though. Protected. It was part of the pact we made with the earth.
“Loch!” Ash cried out again.
“I’m here, my love,” I said as I entered the mouth of the corridor. Ash was at the center of the cavern. The soft glow of the lanterns we brought flickered over the walls. I added a little light of my own.
Ash was on her side, curled into herself. Sweat poured down her face, but she was smiling. She was ready. Her massive stomach churned and rolled as the child within her struggled to make her appearance.
Lucia held one of Ash’s hands. She squeezed it tight. Gemma rubbed Ash’s thigh. Grace sat on the other side of her, rubbing the sweat from her brow.
“Let me,” I said, taking the cloth from my sister-in-law.
“You sure you can handle this?” Ash said through her panting.
“I’m ready if you are,” I answered. Lucia motioned to me. We traded positions. Ash leaned against me as I supported her weight.
Grace took a peek between Ash’s legs. “I’d say we’re one away. You ready on the next one, Ash? Push for all you’re worth. The baby will do the rest.”
Ash gave a quick nod. She had no time before the next contraction hit. She gritted her teeth and squeezed my hand. Her whole body began to glow. Dragon fire. My mother warned me that would happen. Still, to see it like this shocked me. But, Grace was right; Ash’s body knew exactly what to do.
“Here we go!” she said. The fire swirled around. I felt it leave my fingertips, joining with the magic swirling around Ash. No wonder human women couldn’t usually mate with dragons. The intensity of the fire burned through me.
Then, with one great whoosh, she was here. Sparks danced through the cavern. My daughter found her voice. Her hearty cries echoed through the cavern, loud enough that my brothers heard and cheered from up above.
Lucia leaned in and hugged Ash. She reached across her and kissed my cheek. “Well done, Mom and Dad.”
Lucia checked the baby with Grace. I waited, breathless, as Shae held out a towel. Grace wrapped her in it and handed the precious bundle to Ash.
“My God,” Ash said, crying. “She’s beautiful.”
“She looks exactly like her mother,” Lucia said.
Sure enough, my daughter squinted then opened her eyes. One was the purest blue, the other amber. Just like Ash’s. She had tiger and wolf blood in her. The instant I thought it, my heart stopped.
“Oh, baby,” Ash said, kissing our daughter’s head. She reached up and touched my cheek, smiling up at me. “She’s perfect. You’re sure she’s all right?”
“Ten fingers, ten toes, all magic,” Shae answered. She gestured to Gemma. She, Grace, and Gemma got up.
“Thank you,” Ash said. “All three of you. You’ve been amazing.”
Gemma and Grace exchanged a look. “You’re the amazing one. And we’re sisters now. Ash, it’s what we do.”
I cradled my wife and daughter and mouthed a thank you to Grace, Shae, and Gemma as they quietly left the cave. They would report all the details to Finn, Gideon, Xander, and Grace.
“Don’t leave,” Ash said to her mother. “Not yet.”
Lucia shot me a look. Ash was scared of something. Lucia got closer. She peeled a bit of the baby
’s towel away to get a better look.
“Honey,” Lucia said. “She’s perfect.”
My daughter kicked out. She held her hands in tight little red fists. She took a great breath and let out her first, fierce sneeze.
Then, something happened. Tiny little stripes moved like shadows across the baby’s round belly. Tiger stripes.
“Huh,” Lucia said. “I thought for sure she was…”
“What?” I asked.
Lucia furrowed her brow. She held out her index finger. The baby latched on, squeezing her grandmother tight. Lucia leaned forward and blew gently on the baby. Then she waited.
“Mama, what is it?” Ash said, her tone becoming more alarmed.
Lucia blew on the baby again. She arched her back. A slash of tiger stripes moved across her brow. Lucia sat back and shrugged.
Then...it happened again.
The baby opened her eyes wide. They flashed a sort of bronze I’d never seen before. She opened her mouth and hiccupped. Her entire body tensed. The tiger stripes receded, and for one brief instant, her ears became pointed and a tuft of silver-white fur spouted on the top of her head.
“She can’t be,” I said, marveling at the new, untested powers my daughter possessed. She settled against her mother and suckled Ash’s breast.
“Yow!” Ash yelled. Then, Ash settled.
“Is that...is she…” I looked at Lucia.
Lucia’s eyes misted with happy tears. She nodded. “My God. I think so. Yes. In her visions...your mother didn’t tell you this?”
“Tell us what?” Ash asked.
Lucia wiped her eyes. “Honey. Your little girl is one of a kind. I mean, we knew that, but...and...it’s going to take some years before we’re absolutely sure. You know shifters don’t really have full control of their animals until they’re almost in puberty. But...I can’t believe it. I think this little one will be able to shift into both a tiger and a wolf.”
“Is that...is that even possible?” Ash asked.