“Yay! Come on, Mommy, hurry. I want to have dinner with Seath!” Zander fidgeted in his mother’s arms.
“All right, all right,” Piper answered, kissing the boy’s hair. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
As Seath busied himself in the small kitchen, he heard Zander’s excited chatter and splashes coming from the bathroom. The boy was telling his mother all about being a hippogriff. It was the first time the kid had shifted, and he was so proud of himself.
Seath totally understood the feeling. This was the first time he had shifted too, and the fiery heat and adrenaline were still coursing through his system.
As he stirred the soup on the stove, his mobile phone rang. He answered the call with a grin. “Hi, Sky!”
“Hey, Seath, are you home yet?”
“No, I...”
“It’s a long drive from Ms Wylde’s house. Are you still on the road right now?” His big brother sounded worried. “It’s raining heavily...”
“Actually, I’m in Piper’s house right now.”
“Piper?”
“Piper Wylde.” Seath took a deep breath and said, “I shifted into my dragon, Sky.”
“You did? Oh my goodness! When? What happened? This is...awesome! Just...wow! Wow! Seath! Seath, you did it! Wait till I tell Storm! Now tell me! How…?”
Seath chuckled. His big brother was getting all excited, firing off questions before he had a chance to answer them.
“Slow down, Sky. I shifted just a while ago. I was up on Piper’s roof and...”
“Roof? What were you doing on the roof?” Sky asked. “We’re supposed to take a look at Ms Wylde’s yard, not her roof.”
“Yeah, but her roof was leaking. It’s raining heavily and it was raining in her living room and bedroom as well. She has a little boy, and I didn’t want them to be in a cold, wet house the whole night. I told Piper I would fix her roof with some spare roof tiles at the side of her house. And while I was on the roof, her son came up after me and he slipped and fell. And before I knew it, I was in dragon form and grabbing him and flying! I didn’t even realize I had shifted until I flew up and away...”
Seath stopped, breathless with excitement. He was just gushing and blabbering, and he wasn’t sure he was making much sense to his big brother. But he wanted to share his joy and excitement with Sky.
“Your dragon emerged,” Sky said and whooped. “Yes!” In a calmer voice, Sky stated, “Your dragon emerged to save the boy.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess it did. I didn’t even think about it. I just...did it.”
“Well, it looks like the rain’s not going to stop anytime soon. You should stay for a while,” Sky said casually.
“Actually, I’m about to have dinner with Piper and Zander.”
“That’s great!” Seath could just hear the grin in his brother’s voice. “Enjoy your evening with them. Piper and Zander, they’re really special, aren’t they?”
“They are,” Seath agreed wholeheartedly.
“I can’t wait to meet them! My baby brother has found...” Sky chuckled without completing his sentence.
“What? What were you about to say?” Seath asked.
“Have you had a chance to take a look at the yard?” Sky asked instead.
Seath narrowed his eyes. Sky was deliberately changing the topic. But...he wasn’t sure what the topic was.
“Yes,” Seath replied as he stared out of the kitchen window into the messy backyard. “I tell ya, she has monster weeds growing out here. We will need to clear everything and build a fence around the perimeter. The fence will have to be really strong to keep the wild animals out. It has to be quite high too, but I don’t know if that will stop Zander. The kid can fly,” Seath explained. “That’s how he got on the roof with me. He flew up all by himself.”
“Fly? Is her son...a dragon shifter too?” Sky asked.
“No. He’s a hippogriff shifter.”
“Oh. Wow!” As Seath stirred the soup, Sky chatted with him for a while longer before saying, “Let us know what needs to be done for Piper and Zander.”
“Actually, I think I can handle the job myself,” Seath said. “I would like to get the fence built as soon as possible. But I know that you and Storm have your hands full with all the other projects. So...I’m thinking I should work on this alone. I want to do this for Piper, but I don’t want to take you and Storm away from our other projects. That will just screw up our schedule and deadlines. And...I’ll be doing this job for free, so...”
“Of course! But...you know we always work together, buddy.”
“I know. But I need to make sure Piper and Zander are safe. I want to put up the fence as soon as possible, and get all the necessary repairs done around the house. At the same time, I don’t want to cause any delay in our other projects.”
“We’re a team, buddy,” Sky said firmly. “More importantly, we’re family. What’s important to you is important to us.”
“Sky...”
“See you tomorrow! Bye!” Sky said cheerfully and clicked off.
Seath pocketed his phone just as Piper and Zander came into the kitchen. The boy’s hair was neatly combed and he was wearing his faded Captain America pajamas. Piper had also changed out of her wet clothes into a comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants.
Seath felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of them. This looked and felt so much like home.
Like a family.
If he could come home and have dinner with Piper and Zander every single day, and have Piper in his bed every night...
Seath gave his head a quick shake to clear it.
“Dinner is served!” he announced a little too loudly.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Piper watched Zander scarf down his pizza and soup. The little boy was ravenous, and he was eating double his usual portion. “Slow down, Zander,” she said. “Don’t gobble down your food. You’ll give yourself a tummy ache.”
“But I’m so hungry, Mommy,” Zander answered, taking a big bite of pizza.
Seath leaned forward and said, “A growing hippogriff needs a lot of fuel. But—a smart hippogriff knows that you have to chew your food well in order for your body to absorb all the nutrients. And you need all the nutrients you can get to grow up big and strong.”
“Big and strong, like you?” Zander asked, looking up at Seath with adoring eyes.
“Bigger and stronger than me,” Seath replied smugly.
Zander grinned. “Okay.” He picked up his spoon and drank his soup between small, careful bites of pizza.
Seath winked at him and gave him the thumbs up.
Piper hid an amused smile. Her son had a serious case of hero worship. Well, Seath certainly was a hero. He’d saved Zander. And he had saved them from a sleepless, wet and worrisome night. Rainwater wasn’t dripping from the ceiling anymore. The house was dry and warm, and her son was talking and laughing more than usual.
It felt really nice.
Piper stole a glance at Seath and saw that he was staring at her. The heat and hunger in his eyes made her body tingle. Blushing furiously, she lowered her gaze and focused on her food.
Piper realized that it was challenging raising a kid all by herself, but she cherished every moment she spent with her son. He was growing up so fast. She’d promised Lisa that she would love her little boy with all her heart and protect him always. Piper vowed to give Zander a happy family, even if it was just a tiny family of two.
But there were times when she wished she could have someone to lean on. Piper had tried to reach out to her mother and sister but they wanted nothing to do with her and her son. It was sad, but it was what it was. She didn’t have a loving family, but she could build a happy family for Zander.
Piper pushed away her unhappy memories and gave Seath a wistful smile. If only they could have dinner like this every night. If she could have a good man like Seath in her life…
It was all just wishful thinking. Piper took a deep breath and s
traightened up. She should stop fantasizing and just enjoy the evening with Seath.
“How did you know you could shift into a hippogriff, Zander?” she asked, turning to face her son.
Zander shrugged. “I just know.”
“Have you ever tried to shift before?” Piper said.
“No.”
“So how did you shift…?”
“I wanted to go up on the roof with Seath,” Zander answered. “I shifted so I could fly out the window and reach the roof.”
Piper frowned as she processed the information. “Can you control your shift? Or did it just happen?”
“I wanted to be a hippogriff,” Zander said simply.
“He can control his shift,” Seath explained to Piper. “He shifted because he wanted to shift. Our animals will emerge when it is time. It might happen suddenly, but we are in control of our animals. My dragon emerged because I needed the speed and ability of my dragon to save Zander. The beast inside of us will lend its strength, speed and agility to the human in times of need and danger.”
Piper nodded. “I see.” After a pause, she added softly, “I don’t think Zander’s biological mother knew that he was a shifter.”
When Seath canted his head at her, Piper explained, “I adopted Zander when he was a baby. His mother, Lisa, was my best friend.” She stroked Zander’s soft, blond hair and sighed. “I miss her. He looks so much like her.”
“You are a great mom to Zander,” Seath said sincerely.
Piper smiled. “He’s a great kid.”
They ate in silence for a while. Finally, Piper decided to ask the question that had been on her mind the whole evening.
She didn’t want to get her hopes up. “Do you need to get home to...your wife, or girlfriend…?” she said to Seath.
“I don’t have a wife or girlfriend,” Seath said emphatically. “The only females in my life are my sisters-in-law and nieces. They are absolutely amazing! Naomi and Ophelia are about the same age as Zander. They’re my little princesses,” he said with a goofy smile.
Piper saw the pure joy and love shining in his eyes as he talked about his family. “Are they all dragons, like you?” she asked.
“No. Well, my brothers are dragons, so I think my nieces are little dragons too. But we’re not sure. They haven’t shifted. The dragon gene can lie dormant for generations. But it doesn’t matter. Those little girls are dragons at heart!”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Zander burped and tugged at Piper’s sleeve. “I’ve finished my dinner. Can I go play now?”
Piper nodded and bent down to kiss the top of his head. “Stay in the living room, okay?”
“Okay.”
Zander ran into the living room to play with his cars and trucks. He made loud engine noises as he revved his cars up and down the couch.
Piper watched her son for a while before turning back to Seath. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” she offered.
“Sure. You get the coffee and I’ll do the dishes,” he said and got up.
“Oh, no, no, please sit down,” Piper objected. “I can’t let you do the dishes...”
“Why not?”
“You already did so much...”
Seath shrugged and began to carry the plates to the sink. “I don’t do things I don’t enjoy,” he stated.
“You...enjoy doing the dishes?” Piper sputtered.
“I enjoy doing things for the people I care about.”
Piper opened her mouth and shut it again. She was totally at a loss for words.
Seath met her eyes and said slowly but clearly, “I care for you and Zander.”
Again Piper tried to speak but failed. In fact, she couldn’t even breathe. Seath had just told her that he cared for her. It wasn’t her imagination. He had indeed said those words to her.
Deep down, she knew that Seath was speaking the truth. His words, his actions, all showed that he did care very much for Zander and her.
Piper felt almost light-headed. No one, absolutely no one, had ever said these words to her. Not even her own mother. Her mother and sister never ever told her that they cared for her. In fact, it was obvious that they cared nothing for her.
Piper went up to Seath and stood beside him at the sink. Their hands touched as she picked up the soapy dishes and started rinsing them. Side by side, they did the dishes together.
Piper could feel the heat from Seath’s broad, powerful body, and it was igniting all sorts of feelings and sensations in her. The electrifying sexual tension between them was palpable, and Piper kept her head lowered to hide the color blooming in her cheeks.
Their arms and hands kept touching, and Piper had to take deep breaths to calm herself down. She never knew that doing the dishes could be such an erotic experience.
Piper stole glances at Seath’s handsome profile and swallowed hard. She had to say something to distract herself. Looking at Seath’s powerful body conjured all sorts of images and fantasies in her mind. She wondered how those hard muscles would feel under her fingers, and how his body would feel against hers.
Piper had to clear her throat twice before she could speak. “Have you always lived in Shadow Point?” she managed.
“No. My brothers and I came to Shadow Point after we were run out of our hometown. The people of Howling Hills grew afraid of us and saw us as weird and dangerous when they couldn’t figure out what we were. Their fear and paranoia got to us, and we thought we were suffering from some incurable, infectious disease. We only realized that we were dragon shifters when Sky’s dragon emerged.” Seath quirked a lopsided smile. “But it’s all good. In the end, we found our home here in Shadow Point.”
Piper nodded. “You’re close to your brothers. That’s really nice. You’re lucky.”
“I am. Sky and Storm are the best brothers ever.” After a pause, Seath asked, “Do you have any family here?”
“No.” Piper gestured around and said, “This house belonged to my late Aunt Jenna. It came as a shock when I found out that she’d passed her house down to me. I vaguely remember meeting Aunt Jenna once when I was a little girl.” Piper sighed. “An aunt who was never in my life actually ended up doing the most for me and my son. She gave us a home. I’d lost my job and I couldn’t afford the rent in the city. If not for Aunt Jenna...” She grimaced.
“You don’t have any other living relatives?”
“My mother had an affair with a married man and when she got pregnant, he bought a house for her in another state, and transferred a huge sum of money into her bank account. My mother never had to work a day in her life. She seemed happy to take the house and money, and disappear with her babies. My twin sister, Heather, and I never knew our dad.”
“So Zander has an aunt and a grandmother...”
“No. Zander only has me.”
Seath frowned. Piper took a painful breath and told Seath all about her mother and sister. Seath was silent for a while when she finished.
“You did the right thing when you told the truth, Piper. Don’t doubt yourself and don’t blame yourself. You can’t change your mother and sister,” he said firmly.
Piper gave a sad smile. “When I hear you talk about your brother, sisters-in-law and nieces, I just wish...” She trailed off and looked away. “After Lisa died, I felt so terribly alone. I will always do my best for Zander, and the boy is my joy and strength. I love him with all my heart, but sometimes, I fear that I may not be enough.”
Seath turned to face her. “Piper,” he said, taking her wet hands in his. “You are a wonderful mother. Zander is lucky to have you.”
At this moment, Zander strolled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Can I play with Seath?” he asked as he stifled another yawn.
Piper pulled away from Seath and went to her little boy.
“Look at you, you can hardly keep your eyes open,” she said, nuzzling his cheek. “Let’s get you to bed.”
When Piper glanced over her shoulder, Seath smiled and said softly, “I’ll
wait in the living room. Goodnight, Zander.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Piper tucked her little boy into bed and kissed his hair. “Goodnight, my baby hippogriff.”
“I’m not a baby,” Zander murmured sleepily. “I’m a big hippogriff, Mommy.”
Piper chuckled. “Yes you are. Sleep tight. I love you.”
“I love...” Zander mumbled incoherently and began to snore.
Piper smiled as she padded softly to the door and switched off the light. Zander was already fast asleep. The day had been filled with danger, excitement and surprises, and the little boy was completely exhausted. He was so tired, but Piper could tell that he was really happy as well. He had shifted for the first time, and it certainly was something to be proud of.
Piper closed Zander’s bedroom door and walked out to find Seath sitting on the couch in the living room. He smiled as he held one of Zander’s toy cars out to her. “I found this under the couch. Zander might be looking for it.”
“I told him to pack away all his toys before bedtime.”
“I think he missed this one.” Seath placed the toy car carefully on the coffee table and asked, “Is he asleep?”
“Yeah. He could barely keep his eyes open while he was brushing his teeth.”
“Shifting is mentally and physically demanding. To be able to shift at such a young age is pretty amazing,” Seath said.
Piper nodded and smiled. She was proud of her son, and she was glad that Seath could see what a great kid Zander was.
When she met Seath’s gaze, her breath caught.
The way Seath was looking at her made her body burn with want and desire. She could feel her pulse quicken and a warm, aching heat began to bloom in her core.
Since Zander came into her life, Piper had channeled all her time and energy to the little man in her life. But deep down, Piper longed to have a loving mate. She had been on her own for so long, and she felt so tired all of a sudden. She just wanted to let someone hold her for a while.
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