“I don’t know what you saw, but I can promise you it wasn’t a dragon.”
“Of course. You’re right. It must have been something else. I’m just being foolish,” Amy told her, second guessing what she had seen now that Barb’s voice of reason had stepped in.
“Exactly. I’m glad you called though. Do you want to have lunch tomorrow before you go in for your show?”
“Yeah, that sounds good. It’s been a while since we hung out.”
“Eleven at our usual spot?”
“It’s a date,” Amy told her. They said their goodbyes and hung up.
At first, Amy dismissed any further thoughts about the dragon, but then she decided to see what she could find out about any other sightings. Firing up her laptop, she opened a search page and looked for dragon sightings in Los Angeles. Her eyes grew wide as she saw all the recent posts on various social media and blogs from people who had seen the creatures, too. There were even a few pictures, but they were all too grainy or blurry to say beyond a certainty that what anyone had seen was real. She made some notes and closed the computer, still pondering it all as she made herself some dinner.
Sitting down with a bowl of reheated pasta and a glass of wine, she poured over the information she had gathered, pulling out a road map she hadn’t used since the invention of GPS and marking the locations people had noted in their sightings. There seemed to be a flight path from Los Angeles out toward the San Bernardino Mountains. For something that didn’t exist, the dragon seemed to have a definite route into and out of the city limits. After a while, she put the map aside and got ready for bed, but sleep was slow to come as she contemplated how someone could pull off something so convincing as to make people believe there were dragons.
Chapter 3
“I’m telling you, Barb. I saw it with my own eyes,” Amy told her friend over lunch the following day.
“I don’t know what you saw, but I can assure you that there is a more logical explanation than a big red dragon soaring above the freeway,” Barb replied.
“I know. It was just so realistic looking. I suppose I just needed a voice of reason.”
“Glad I could help out. Now, aside from seeing dragons, how are things with you?”
“Ah, you know how it is. Just work, mostly.”
“Sounds typical. How about the love life? Anything happening there?”
“Love life? What’s that?”
“Pretty much what I figured. When are you going to get back out there?”
“It’s just not really on my radar right now, Barb. I’m so tired of meeting the same types of guys over and over. No one wants a commitment. They all want to just get lucky and then go about their business. If it was good, they’ll call you late on a Saturday night when their date didn’t work out and want to come over. That’s all fine and good, but I’m ready for something more substantial in a relationship.”
“Well, you aren’t going to find it sitting at home.”
“I know, I know. I’m just taking some ‘me’ time, I guess. I can’t deal with men right now. My career is going great and, other than men, my social life is fabulous. I get invited to all the best events and parties. Everyone wants the star of a local radio show at their gig. You know I’m not much for being deemed a celebrity, but I have to admit that it’s nice to have an open ticket to most places.”
“Just don’t get too lost in the ‘me’ time. It must get lonely sometimes.”
“It does. How about you? How are things going with Garth?” Amy replied, referencing the rather tumultuous relationship Barb had with her beau.
“Honestly, it seems to be hitting a high note. We’ve been spending lots of time together lately, but he had to go to Italy on business for a couple of weeks, so I’m on my own for now.”
“I assume you hear from him while he’s gone?”
“Oh, yes. We Skype every night before bedtime.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m happy for you.”
“I don’t want to get too wrapped up in it. You know how it goes with us. Great one minute and at odds the next.”
“I have an idea. How would you like to go on a little trip with me?”
“A trip where?” Barb asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Not far, just over to Big Bear Lake.”
“You want to go camping? Since when?” Barb laughed.
“No. You know I don’t do camping trips. I want to rent a cabin and do some hiking up the mountains.”
“That kind of hiking, in those mountains, usually involves camping.”
“Yeah, but just short term. Dropping a pup tent overnight during a hike and spending weeks in one are two very different things.”
“Fair enough. Why the sudden inspiration to go hiking? You haven’t hiked in ages that I know of.”
“I just want to get out and explore. That’s all.”
“Well, you caught me at a good time, I guess. I’ll go with you. The great outdoors will be a refreshing change of pace from the city. When do you want to leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Wow. You aren’t playing. What about your show?”
“I’ll tell them I have some personal things to take care of and let them play some of the pre-recorded stuff they keep on hand in case of emergencies.”
“Alright. Well, I’m in.”
“Fantastic. I’ll get us a cabin lined up and pick you up in the morning to head out.”
The women finished their meal, chatting about all the things they missed in one another’s lives since they last got together. Barb was one of Amy’s oldest friends. It was always nice to catch up. Spending a week with her out in the middle of nowhere would be refreshing, though she did feel a little bad about not telling her the entire truth. No way would Barb agree to go if she knew they were on the trail of the dragon that supposedly didn’t exist.
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Chapter 1
Aaron looked around forlornly at the small group gathered in the chapel to say their final goodbyes to his father. His mother wept softly beside him, unable to look at the simple metal urn sitting on a pedestal at the center of the room ahead of them. It was hard to quell the anger that threatened to bubble over at any moment as he considered the long, hard road that had brought them to this point.
As the family members began to file out of the church, Aaron handed his mother over to her sister to console and returned to the church. He stood, speaking softly to the metal cylinder that contained all that was left of his father, Liam Donnelly. His words were soft, but seething with the hatred he felt toward Aiden, the leader of their former dragon clan.
“I am going to get our family home, Father. I know you brought us here because you thought it was best. You wanted to protect Mother and all of us, but I am not you. I can fight him. I can win back our place in our rightful land. We’re going home, Father. All of us, including you.”
His words were cut off as they fell away into sobs, his grief pouring out of him in buckets. He had been strong for his mother, for his sisters and the others, but here, alone, he had become overcome with the emotions he had held back. His tears were filled with pain, but also fear and, mostly, anger.
“Aaron?”
He turned to see Kate standing behind him. She looked beautiful even in the simple black dress she was wearing. Kate knew his pain. Her own family had been driven out by Aiden several years before his. Their crime? Kate’s mother refused to be bedded by him after the recent passing of her husband. Rather than submit to his will, she had packed up herself and her daughter, fleeing to Kearney, a small village far enough away from their home in the Mournes to be free of him.
“Kate, when is the last time you flew?” h
e asked her.
“What? Flew? I haven’t flown in a while,” she replied.
“How long?”
“Five, six months.”
“Why not?”
“Too risky. Mum doesn’t want us to be seen.”
“Same here. I’ve hardly flown for months. We couldn’t afford being seen by the locals, nor could we risk word getting back to Aiden about where we have gone. The only chance I’ve had to spread my wings is on those moonless nights when it was pitch black and some of us were able to take flight out over the water in the darkness. Aren’t you tired of lurking in the shadows like bats? Bats that can’t even take flight?”
“Sure, Aaron, but this isn’t the place for such a discussion.”
“It’s exactly the place, Kate. Look at what it’s done to my father, to my family.”
“Your father was sick, Aaron. I know you feel hurt and angry, but there was nothing that could have been done for him.”
“No, but he could have been at home. He could have been in our home. Don’t you remember it there, Kate? You and I used to play in the meadow behind our houses. We spent every day together until we were all driven out by Aiden. First, you and your Mum, and then my entire family. It is only luck that brought us back together.”
“I know, Aaron, but there is nothing that will change what has happened. We have to move on, and to find a way to get on with our lives.”
“There is no life for us here, Kate. We are dragon shifters, not humans. At home, we were free to be ourselves. No one blinked twice if they saw a dragon flying over the Mourne Mountains or out across the sea. Here, we are freaks – creatures to be feared and murdered by those that don’t understand us.”
“Listen, Aaron. I know you’re upset. You have every right to be. Your family has been through so much hardship in these past few months, and you’re grieving your father. It’s understandable, but you can’t let it cloud your judgment. You can’t be ruled by your anger.”
“Anger? Anger!? That’s putting it mildly, Kate. Aiden has taken everything from my family. I can’t even bury my father! Instead of being buried in the cemetery where every member of our family has been buried for centuries, I’ve had to have him cremated and sealed up in a metal jar until I can find a way to take him back where he belongs. My only option is to smuggle him in and spread his ashes across the land he loved so much.”
“I know, Aaron, but what is done is done. You have to accept it and be strong for your family. You have to remember that, with your father gone, it’s even more important that you take care of them. They need you, and you need them.”
“Kate, you’re my oldest friend, and I adore you, but I can’t just let bygones be bygones.”
“Perhaps not, but today is not the day for this. Your mother is waiting for you outside. Take her home and help her get through this. Think about what all of this will mean for you if you can’t just let it go.”
Aaron nodded solemnly. He knew that she was right. There was a time and a place for everything, and this was neither. Tears rolled down his face as his anger subsided and grief took over once again.
“Come here,” Kate said quietly, pulling her close to him and holding him, letting him cry as she stroked his hair with her hand.
They lingered there against one another until one of Aaron’s cousins came in and asked if he was ready to go. Pulling away from Kate, he looked at her bleary eyed and emotionally exhausted for a moment before turning to retrieve the urn that held his father’s ashes and walking quietly toward the door, his hand clutching Kate’s as if she were some sort of life line for him.
Chapter 2
Several days later, Aaron still found himself struggling to keep his emotions in check. His mother was devastated. Though she had known what was coming, having to face it here in this run-down cottage they had scarcely been able to afford with what money his father had managed to bring with them had taken an additional toll on her. It had been hard on all of them, but her more than all.
His thoughts were disrupted by a knock at the door. Opening it, he found Kate standing outside with a basket of freshly baked bread. He smiled faintly and invited her in.
“That looks delicious,” he said, reaching for one of the warm rolls she carried with her.
“Mom has been anxious today. When she’s nervous, she bakes. You’ll find about three different kinds of loaf in here, plus those rolls.”
“Why is she nervous?”
“I don’t know. She just doesn’t always feel at ease. I can’t really get her to talk about it.”
“I see,” he told her, before turning toward his mother in the next room. “Mom, Kate has brought us a basket of fresh bread. I’m going to sit it in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, son,” she replied, barely looking toward them.
“Kate, do you want to go for a walk?” he asked.
“Sure, if you do,” she said, casting a worried glance toward his mother.
“Mom, we’re going for a walk. I’ll be back in a while,” he called back as he nudged Kate toward the door.
“Okay, son. Be careful,” his Mom replied as they stepped out the door.
“Is she okay?” Kate asked after the door was closed behind them.
“Not really. She just sits there, staring into space. She doesn’t know what to do without Dad. This isn’t her home. She’s just lost, Kate. I have to get her home.”
“Aaron, I thought you were going to let it go,” Kate began.
“No. I can’t let it go. I’m not going to let my mother die in some shitty little cabin in the middle of nowhere. Dad might have been okay with running, but I’m not. I’ve made up my mind.”
“Made up your mind about what?”
“I’m taking my mother home.”
“Aaron, you can’t. Your family was exiled. They’ll put you all down in a dark hole if you return.”
“No. We weren’t exiled. We never spoke to the Council. My father packed us up in the night and we ran away.”
“What? I always thought you were sent away. Why would your father put you all into hiding like that?”
“If you remember, my father was Aiden’s closest advisor. Even we don’t know a lot of things that he did while he was at work, but Aiden was constantly calling him to come in for this and that. It wasn’t until we were fleeing that he told us why.”
“Why, then?”
“He witnessed Aiden committing murder. Not only did he poison the dying former leader to hasten his demise, but he also poisoned and baited another shifter, the one in line to take over as leader. When the weakened shifter arrived to help him with his made-up emergency, he attacked him, finishing him off and leaving him to die on the beach below the cliffs at home.”
“Oh, my God,” Kate replied, her eyes wide with fear now that she knew just what Aiden was capable of.
“Right. My father kept his secret for years, but when he was terminally ill, he decided he couldn’t take it to his grave with him. He went to Owen and Connor McCord and told them the truth. He knew doing so would put us all in danger, but he decided he needed a clear conscious, I guess.”
“Why didn’t the McCords go to the Council? Couldn’t they have just taken your father in with them and told them what happened?”
“My father wouldn’t testify. He knew that Aiden would make sure that the lot of us were dead before a trial could commence and that the Council is afraid of him. So, he came home, packed us all up, and we fled. We ran like cowards, even though we had done nothing wrong.”
“Your father was just protecting his family.”
“Maybe, but he made his choice for all of us. He traded our safety for his peace of mind. Now, he’s gone, and we are left here to live with the consequences. Well, I’m not going to do that. I am going to fight back. It’s time someone did.”
“What about the McCords? Why didn’t they do something about the man that killed their father?”
“I don’t know. I heard that they took it to the Counc
il and that Aiden exiled them, but I don’t know why they let him run them off. He’s strong, but he is getting older, and there are two of them. Maybe they are cowards.”
“Whoever heard of a cowardly dragon? There must be another answer.”
“There might be, but no one even knows where they are. I heard they fled the continent entirely.”
“Maybe we should try to find them.”
“It would serve no purpose. They chose to abandon their fight, but I won’t. I’m going to make this right if it’s the last thing I do.”
“It might very well be the last thing you do, Aaron. It’s dangerous. Aiden is a killer. You said so yourself.”
“I’m going to take him down, Kate. I’ve already decided. He’s going to pay for what he’s done to my family.”
“Aaron, this is no good. You can’t do this. It’s murder. If you kill Aiden, how does that make you any better than him?”
“Do you think I’m going to kill him just to avenge my father? I won’t lie; I do want him to pay for the way he has ruined my family’s lives, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. He’s a bad leader and not just because of what he’s done to us. Everyone back home lives in just as much fear as those who have escaped or been sent away. It’s time someone put an end to it.”
“And why do you have to be that person, Aaron?”
“Because I am the only one willing to do it, apparently.”
“No. You are the only one hell bent on avenging your family.”
“I’m the only one determined not to let Aiden ruin the lives of even one more family. Just look at what he has done to us! Not just you and I, but everyone who lives in fear of him. Something has to be done, Kate! He’s not just a tyrant, he’s a cold-blooded killer! We know about two people, but how many more has he killed for selfish reasons?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know, Aaron. I’ve gotten used to being here. Mom and I are fine. You and your family should do the same. Just accept that this is your home now and make the most of it. It’s safer.”
“That’s the problem with the world, Kate. Everyone wants to play it safe instead of doing what’s right. At some point, someone has to stand up for the masses and put an end to the problem.”
Saved by Alpha Bear (Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Shadow Claw Book 1) Page 38