by Jana Leigh
He went and shut the door and turned to look at his mates that were looking at him and smiling. “I know this timing sucks, but we have to talk.” Blaze frowned and said, “What"s up? I thought you were shutting the door so that we could shift.”
“No, I can"t have anyone overhear this. You both know I am your mate, right? You can feel it?” He said and waited for Blaze and Trinity to shake their heads in agreement.
Lagon let out the breath he was holding, they were accepting of his mating claim. Thank the Gods; he hoped they would feel the same when he told them what he was. “Well, I was sent here by the Gods, not for the reasons that you may think. Blaze, I told you that I was not a wolf, and did not belong to this Pack.” Blaze nodded and he saw his hand tighten on Trinity"s for a brief moment, as if he was encouraging her to stay calm. “I am just going to come out with it. I am a dragon. I was sent here because I am the protector of the Chosen"s children. None can see me in my shifted form but the Chosen and their mates. To other shifters and humans I would just disappear when I shifted. The children are going to need protection in the coming years, and that is my job. I swept them away right before the blast.” He paused looking at his mates to see their reaction. Both had a perplexed look on their face and then Blaze opened his mouth like he was going to say something and in the next breath, he closed it. Trinity started to giggle. It was Lagon"s turn to frown. He waited for a second and then Blaze joined her. Both of his mates were laughing at him.
He felt his heart contract a little.
“Wait.” Trinity said as he turned his back to them so they would not see the pain cross his face. “No, I am not laughing at you.” She gasped out in between her giggles. Lagon turned back and looked at her hopefully. “I was just thinking about when I was younger.
My parents loved me, but they did not really spoil me. But each year on my birthday, I would receive a small gift. They would buy me figurines of animals. After a few years, they would only get me my favorite. Do you know what they were?” Lagon shook his head and looked at her with interest. “Tigers and Dragons. They were my favorite. Of course when I found Blaze, I knew why I liked Tigers. I kept thinking how cool that was, but that I would never meet a dragon because they weren"t real.” She said and looked up at him smiling. “And here you are.”
“Well, holy shit.” Blaze said. “Wanna hear something else really weird? I collect them too. But I have wolves and dragons. That is why I was laughing. Wait till you see my collection.”
Lagon laughed loudly and smiled at his mates. “Perfect, we are going to get along just fine.” He whispered and thought about his collection. Their home would certainly have to have display cabinets for all of their treasures. “Okay, I have to go and talk to the Alphas, just so you know, I will be telling them. I have to.” Trinity and Blaze nodded. “We will be okay.” Blaze said and lifted Trinity"s hand and kissed that back of it.
“First you have to shift. Then I will leave once you are both back in bed.” Lagon ordered. He smiled and waved his hand at his mates. He could not wait to see them in their forms.
Blaze smiled and then closed his eyes. The air in the room changed and shimmered and a large Tiger appeared in the bed lying comfortably. Lagon said, “Holy shit, you are huge.”
The Tiger chuffed at him and then rolled on his side. Lagon went and ran his fingers through his fur. It was beautiful. Such a large animal, full of grace and power. Lagon could not wait to see him run. Trinity looked at them with awe in her expression. Lagon went to her side and said, “Aw, baby, don"t be afraid. It"s just Blaze.”
“I"m not afraid. He"s magnificent. I always dreamed of meeting a Tiger.” She whispered and reached out to pet him. Once again, she wondered if she was going to be enough for these men. They were amazing, a Tiger and a Dragon. Two of the rarest shifters ever to have lived and they were hers. She smiled and then turned to Lagon who was holding her hand. “Okay, I"m gonna shift.” She whispered and then lowered her head.
She should have taken off the hospital gown but she couldn"t yet. When she was home and she shifted, it was usually where no one could see her. Only her parents had seen her in shifted form. They warned her that people might not understand her markings.
She knew from experience that was true, she hoped her mates would.
The air in the room changed again and Lagon took a small step back to give her space.
He watched as a beautiful silvery wolf appeared tangled in the hospital gown. He chuckled and leaned forward to help her untangle herself. Then Blaze chuffed again like he was laughing at his mates as they wrestled to free Trinity. Finally, she emerged.
Lagon stepped back and sucked in a breath. She was gorgeous. She was a small wolf.
Delicate and dainty. It made him want to sweep her up and protect her. She turned and barked at the Tiger and then crawled over and lay next to Blaze in between his paws.
She fit right against his underbelly.
He gasped and looked at her side. She had small dark markings on her side. He leaned closer, reached out, and ran his hand through her hair once. He let the hair fall back and he could see the forms. Small forms of animals. He looked closer and he saw a wolf and a cat. Running his hand through her coat again, more animals became clearer. A bird, a bear, another cat, a human form surrounded by a magical symbol, must be the witches, he thought. And then he smiled and looked at his mate. Her eyes showed she was worried about the way he would react to her coat. He leaned down, nuzzled her, and whispered into her ear. “Perfection.”
She tuned and licked the side of his face and Lagon stood and laughed. Then she lifted a paw and he saw that by her heart she had two small black marks. He leaned forward and once again ran his hands through the hair. When he was done, he could clearly see the shapes of a Tiger and a dragon intertwined right above where her heart was.
Lagon felt tears gathering in his eyes and he looked up. “Like I said, perfection.” He whispered. Blaze shifted back, leaned over, and looked at what Lagon was referring to.
“Oh, little one. How could you ever doubt we were made for you?” He whispered reverently.
Trinity sighed and then she laid her head down against Blaze who had begun absently petting her. She felt complete for the first time in her life and she knew that everyone had been telling the truth. She belonged here with her mates. They would take their rightful place among the Pack and do what they had to do to make things right. She felt the anger grow inside her, how dare someone try to hurt her mates and family. She wanted to do what she could to make sure it did not happen again. She was the Pack Builder. As soon as she was well, she would start. With her mates, they would begin to develop Pack, Prides, Dens, and Flocks. All with the purpose of making them stronger.
The Rogue would not know what hit them.
“I wish I could stay. I am going to go to the meeting and then come right back.
Remember what the doctor said, bed rest. I am going to check on the rest of the Council. I will let your parents know you are awake and will come and visit.” Lagon said and looked one last time and turned to walk out of the room.
***
Cami walked out of Trinity"s room and let go of her smile. She was sick to death of acting like everything was fine, when it wasn"t. Her mates had woken a few hours after they were pulled from the rubble. They both had multiple broken bones and burns. Of course, they shifted and had begun to heal, but the amount of damage that had been done to their bodies was extensive. The doctor said that if Lagon had not pulled them out when he had, that they would have been in worse condition. They were so close to the blast that Tommy, Blaine and the Alphas had been severely injured. She did not want to even think about the X-rays that they showed her.
Walking down the corridor, she took a deep breath. She knew that Jordan was the worst off. Casey and her mates were all resting comfortably in the birthing room they set up.
She had been a real trooper. Jo and Tey were also doing better. However, they were at Oliver"s side who was
still unconscious. The doctor was worried about his head injury; he had not been able to shift yet.
Cloe, Blaine, and Teagan were all helping the doctors and nurses that were exhausted already. They could not do everything, but they had refused to remain in their rooms while others were hurt.
Reggie, Ruby, and Levi were doing well also. However, the men were freaking out because of Ruby"s pregnancy. They would not allow her to get out of bed for fear she would lose the baby. The doctor had tried to assure them that she would be fine, but the men refused to listen.
Lacy, Shawn, and Sevi were working together on healing spells with Adele. Adele had brought all the herbs and stuff needed so they could do it in their room. Cami grimaced when she thought of the smell that was coming from the room. The Enforcers had helped moved them after the first batch so they were not close to anyone who was weak stomached.
Dalton and Kira were still in bed. They were going to be fine, but both of them had broken both legs. It had not been a pretty sight. The doctor said that they had fallen straight down and landed on their feet. They were going to have to rest for a few more days to let their bones heal.
Jordan was in surgery again. Her mates Romy and Larkin were sitting in the room she was given for in between surgeries. When she walked in, she could see how tired the two bears were. She didn"t think they had slept since they had woken and found out their mate was in critical condition. They had been beside themselves.
Their mother was in the room with her. She was a large woman who Cami had taken an instant liking to when they met. She wished her mother would have been half as good as she was. Her presence made you feel comfort and peace.
She stood up and held out her arms to Cami and said, “Come here, baby girl. How are you doing?”
Cami went directly into her arms and soaked up the comfort that she was giving. “Hey, Mama Bear.” She said against her shoulder. “I suck.” She felt her chuckle and then put her hand on her head and say, “Now girl, you do not.
You just feel like shit. You need to sit with us for a while. I think the doctors will be in soon with an update. They are setting her leg. Right now, her parents have gone to check on Casey and Sid. They should be back soon. When Jordan woke up once, she had refused to talk to them. She was in so much pain. I don"t think she knew what she was saying.”
Cami nodded and pulled back. “Yeah, a lot of healing going on. Hey, guys. How is it going?” She said to Romy and Larkin who were sitting there silently.
They had just joined the New Council a few weeks ago. With all that had been going on with Oliver and the rest of that shit, they had remained cool to the members of the Council. Instead, they preferred to spend their time with the cats. Since the accident though, they had thawed considerably. They could tell how much Cami cared about the people in her Pack and were finally warming up. Of course, it helped that they found out before the blast that Jo"s father had not killed Jordan"s parents.
“We are good. Just waiting for word. Jordan is hanging in. They had her doped up, it was kinda funny, and she kept calling us her pussy cats.” Romy said and smiled.
Cami laughed. “Well, at least someone is getting the good drugs. How are you guys feeling?”
“We shifted a few times, now we just have aches and pains. The doctor told us it was going to be a long recovery for Jordan.” Larkin said grimly.
They had just mated. It wasn"t fair. It made Cami want to go and kill Braden all by herself. She had a group of cats and wolves working around the clock to try and trace him. He could not have gone far. One of them actually thought the asshole had enough nerve to actually come back. The day of the explosion, they had guards at the gates to prevent anyone, even Pack members who had not been in the compound at the time, in or out. During that time, there had been a large SUV that had apparently raised some eyebrows. Cami wished he would come back. The mood she was in, she knew she would kick his ass.
The doctor came into the room, looked at Romy and Larkin and smiled gently. Cami held her breath and waited. “So, she made it through surgery. We had to put a rod in her leg. They are bringing her back soon. With the rest of her injuries, she will be here for a while, but at least this is the last of the surgeries.” Cami breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded and kissed everyone, after getting the full update on everyone and left the room. She was going to her room where she assumed her mates were getting ready to drill Lagon about his past. Neither of them liked the fact that he had shown up at the right time. They thought it was too suspicious.
Chapter 10
Braden looked out his window and growled again. He had failed to get his mates and he was unable to contact his informant inside the compound to get information. The New Council was pissing him off. For years he has planned this, obviously he underestimated the Council. He thought they were as stupid as Oliver had been. They should have been able to get his mates.
“Master? I think we need to think about trying this from a different angle.” Roarke said behind him.
“Ya think?” Braden said sarcastically.
Roarke kept his head down so he would not blow up at the unstable Alpha. He was getting more and more frustrated with his leader. It was like he was in the dark ages.
He was not willing to listen. Roarke was going to try. Braden was very powerful, without him, they did not stand a chance, but he needed to be focused.
“Sir, may I make a suggestion?” Roarke said and waited for Braden to blow up.
Braden looked out the window for a few more minutes and then turned with a sigh. “I guess I have no choice. I need some ideas.”
***
Lagon walked to the Alphas room and knocked respectfully. He was a little miffed about leaving his mates cuddled in each other"s arms resting. He really wanted to crawl into bed and join them. He was exhausted. Soon, he thought and waited. He already had plans in motion for their new house. Cami and he had spent a long time talking when the others were still with doctors or resting. She had assured him that her mates would allow them to build a house wherever he wanted as long as it was in the compound.
The re-enforcements had arrived very quickly. Ryan and Ariel had been working their tails off organizing and making sure the grounds were covered. It wasn"t until this morning that they had completed a list of people who were allowed in the gates. Ryan and Ariel had called a lot of the Packs, Prides, and Dens around and asked for temporary help. So far, they had received at least a hundred shifters to guard. Dalton"s Sidhe family also was providing help.
Lagon had been in charge of balancing the guards. So he had time to walk the grounds.
He found the perfect place for a new home for him and his mates. It was in the corner, surrounded by trees. The best part of it was there was a hidden cave on the property.
He smiled when he thought about last night.
Lagon had shifted and flew to his cave and begun moving all of his belongings late in the night. When he flew them back here and stored them in the cave that was so close, one time Cami had caught sight of him. Thank the Gods the fog covered him a little. She thought it was some strange bird. When he shifted and entered the Bed and Breakfast, he found the little Alpha looking through a bird"s book. He chuckled and played along.
He could not wait to see her face when he told them he was a dragon. It was the one thing he looked forward to, after all these years he was able to come out in the open to people he would be working with. His solitary existence was going to be over; he would be able to shift when he pleased.
Lagon knocked again and waited. He could hear heated voices inside and wondered if he should return later. The door flung open and Cami stood there with her hands on her hips looking like a pissed off little Alpha. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Need me to come back?”
“No. Dipshit one and dipshit two over there are chomping at the bit to interrogate you.
I tried to tell them that you are on our side, but they are being assholes. So come on in and join the madness.” Cami said an
d swept her arm to the side to let him in the room.
Lagon laughed, bent, and kissed her on the forehead, which earned him growls from the beds against the far wall. “Don"t worry, my Alpha. I think your mates will be pleasantly surprised in a few moments.” He whispered and drew back and walked into the room.
“What the fuck were you doing kissing our mate?” Quin bellowed and went to rise from the bed. Cami stood with her arms folded and tapped her foot glaring at her mates. “Let me tell you something, mister.” She screeched, which stopped Quin in his tracks. “You step one foot out of that bed and you will have to take up permanent residence on the couch. Lagon kissed me on the forehead because that is his way of showing respect to me. We have already discussed this and I gave him permission to do that. It is none of your business who I allow to show me affection and respect. Remember that.” She said and finished by pointing her finger at them and then leaning against the wall.
Quin cleared his throat and lay back down. He looked appropriately chastised and said smoothly, “Cami, you can"t fault me for wondering why a stranger is kissing my wife.
Besides, you know how much I hate the couch. I"m wounded. You have to take care of me.” He finished in a whine. Jaden laughed and slapped Quin on the back of the head.
“Dude, let me handle this one. So, Lagon, who are you and what do you want? If we don"t like the answers, we are going to rip off the lips that you just placed on our lovely mate and then throw your ass out of here.” Jaden said and looked at Cami in surprise when she growled at him. “What, that was better.” He said and looked at Quin for support who was rolling his eyes.
“Seriously,” Lagon said and raised his hands in surrender. “Once you hear what I have to say, you will feel differently. Can we stop the hostility for thirty seconds and then if you don"t like what I have to say, I will leave.”