Clay agreed, and after getting the locations, I left him to report in to my king as well as call up my Swedish dragon friends. If they needed help, I’d be sending some of my dragon employees over there to help clean shop.
Chapter 19
Bella
“Freedom, finally!” I couldn’t believe everyone made me stay in the house for almost two days. I felt like I was fully healed, so I didn’t know what all the fuss about shifting was. Lizzie had said I needed to wait two days to shift, it was close enough.
“Beth, come on. I need a run. I feel like I just got released from prison, and I need fresh air. I don’t need to go far, maybe to Maker’s Rock?” I gave my twin a cheesy smile and danced from foot to foot.
“No way. I’m not going up against Lizzie’s orders. You know how she can be. You have to stay here. I’m sure you can go and walk around the grounds, with plenty of guards, but no shifting yet,” Beth replied with a hand on her hip and a brow arched.
“Oh, come on! Where’s your nutcracker may care attitude? You’re always the one going off and doing stupid stuff, why are you so worried about following the rules now?” I really didn’t understand my sister sometimes. We may have been twins, but our personalities were so different.
“I don’t want to see you hurt any more than you already are. If Lizzie, the one who healed you, said you should wait a little longer, then wait.” Beth screwed up her lips, and I could tell she was thinking something. “Alright, if after you spend some time outside you still feel fine and aren’t even tired, let’s talk to Lizzie. She might let you shift later tonight. But please, for my sake, do what she says.” The sad puppy-wolf eyes and her downturned lips was enough to get me to see reason - for now.
I sighed. “Alright. Let’s just get outside. I feel like I’m suffocating while being forced to stay inside so long.” I knew it hadn’t even been two days, but I felt fine. Better than fine, even. I had so much pent-up energy, I knew it would be tough not to shift today.
My skin was crawling with the need to be in my wolf form, to run through the wild and howl with my pack. I was alive and well, and I wanted everyone to know it.
Beth and I walked out of my room and headed to the living room where at least a dozen Enforcers were sitting around talking. The moment I entered the room, all talk stopped. They had to have been discussing me or Clay.
I had been told what Clay did. Palo offered to let me go see him if I wanted to, but I had no desire to be friends with someone who could have stopped the attack and didn’t. I forgave him. Forgiveness isn’t about the person who did you wrong, it is about your own heart. Letting go of the wrong and the hurt someone else did to you is healthy for a being, human or otherwise.
I told Palo he could do as he saw fit with Clay. I knew Santa was more than fair, and he would find the perfect punishment for him. I doubted I would ever see the traitor again, but I knew Santa wouldn’t end his life. However, there would be some serious punishment for what happened. Once that was over, Clay would be an outcast unless a pack brought him in as an Omega.
I knew a few packs did bring in those who had been reformed, and I would imagine Clay would be reformed, in time. I doubted he intended to hurt me. I do think his motives, while not pure, were to save me in his own way. He was just too stupid and self-involved to see how dangerous his pack was.
Sadly, no one has found his pack or the ones responsible for attacking Jax. We were still on defcon a million, or something like that. Beth and I had no less than six guards whenever we left the house. This would be my first time walking out the door since I was saved by Salvador, so I was pretty sure the Enforcers were discussing my protection detail.
“What? You all knew I was going outside today. Why all the secrecy? There’s no need to shut up just because I entered the room. I’m going to see your plans anyway the moment I step outside.” I shook my head, thinking how silly these wolves were to try and keep the details from me.
Rock cleared his throat. “It’s not that. It’s just that … well.” He scratched the back of his ear and kept opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
I stuck my hip out and put a hand on it. “Go ahead and just say it. What’s the plan?” Instead of standing around here waiting for fish face to speak, I wanted to get outside and get some fresh air.
Mikey, Jr. coughed, and through his hand I heard the word, “Dragons.”
Confused, I looked to Mikey. “What about dragons?”
Rock looked up to the ceiling and sighed. “Salvador insists on sending two dragons with you today.” Rock held up his hand to stop me from saying anything. “Hold on. Before you get all upset, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have them patrolling the skies. The dragons can see any danger coming from quite a distance and give us the heads-up to get you inside before anything could happen.”
I saw the look of worry on Rock’s face and the faces of everyone else. I didn’t understand why they were all so worried.
Confused, I asked, “What’s the problem? Is something wrong with the dragons who want to guard us?” I rubbed my neck, feeling like the walls were caving in on me. I had to get outside soon.
All the faces in the room fell, and no said a word until Mikey, Jr. spoke up. “I thought you hated dragons?”
I laughed, and then looked at each of the faces in the room. These wolves were all part of my pack. I had grown up with them here at my house, running with me in the woods, out to Maker’s Rock, and pretty much anywhere else I could run to. They knew me well. I guess better than I realized.
“Look guys, I’m sorry. I know in the past my thoughts on dragons were pretty awful. But so far this summer, they have proven to be very honorable creatures. As long as Beth and I are still in danger, I’m fine with having them fly above us. You’re right, they can see danger from more than a mile away. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for Salvador seeing me in the distance and coming to save me.”
In that moment, I realized for the first time that I really was okay with dragons. They weren’t going to be my besties or anything like that, but I was good with them being around and helping to find out what was going on and who wanted to hurt us.
Rock and the guys all looked like they were about to have a heart attack. All of them had eyes wide open and slack jaws. Their looks of astonishment almost made me laugh. That was until I realized why they were so shocked. “I know I wasn’t the nicest to the dragons, and over the past few years I have probably said some things that weren’t very nice either, but I was wrong.”
I walked up to Mikey, Jr. and closed this mouth. “Come on, guys, close your maws before you start catching flies, and let’s get outside. It’s a beautiful day, and I, for one, don’t want to be inside any longer.”
I turned around and saw Beth giggling behind her hand. “Come on, let’s go.” I pulled my sister by the hand, and I heard the rustling of feet behind us. The guys may have been shocked by my one-eighty, but they weren’t going to shirk their duties.
The moment I stepped outside, my body relaxed and I sighed. “Perfection.”
The sun was shining, and I could feel its warmth on my face. We were in the Arctic Circle, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t feel the heat of the sun. It was still cold as a reindeer’s nose outside, but to me, it was a tropical balm to my senses.
The smell of peppermint that always seemed to be present in Santa’s Village filled my nostrils, and I knew everything was going to be alright. The unease I had been feeling from being cooped up so long began to release, and the tension in my muscles drifted away on the scent of pine.
As I continued to take in the wonderful aromas of my surroundings, I picked up on gingerbread, chocolate, and something smoky. Focusing on the smoke, I picked up a hint of musk and knew who was nearby – Salvador.
Lately, he had a bit of gingerbread in his scent. I figured it was because he kept eating Lizzie’s gingerbread cookies whenever he visited. I couldn’t blame h
im. Her cookies were world renowned. If she ever needed a job in the real world, she could become a baker and make a ton from the humans. Even the shifters of the world would come to her store.
I’d never met a paranormal creature who could turn down a cookie from Lizzie. Who would want to? And now, a certain dragon seemed to be hooked, and it was permeating his own personal scent. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. At least I knew his scent.
Before he even turned the corner, I called out, “Hey Salvador. Are you here to get more cookies from Lizzie?” I couldn’t help my smirk. He really was too easy to predict.
Salvador smiled from ear to ear, and he stopped in front of me. “Actually, I came to escort you on your walk today. But did you say Lizzie has fresh cookies?” He looked inside the house and all the Enforcers behind me joined Beth and I in our laughing.
“Go ahead. She’s in the kitchen,” I called out as I began to walk away.
I had enough guards for today. There was no reason to wait for Salvador. If he wanted to join us, he could easily find us. I looked up to see two dragons flying in a circle above the house, so I knew Salvador wasn’t the dragon on duty at the moment. He probably just wanted to speak with Rock about something, knowing the head Enforcer would be with me today.
While it wasn’t Rock’s job to guard Beth and me, I wasn’t surprised to see him as part of the guard detail. This was my first time out of the house since the attack. I knew he’d be here. I doubted my sister had even left the yard since I arrived all bloody and beaten two days ago.
There were ten Enforcers surrounding my sister and me. It was a bit much, but for the day, I would let them have their way. It was good to show strength to all who were watching.
We never left my yard, but it was pretty large. There was enough room for us to walk around the edges without feeling like I was penned in, even though that’s basically what it was, a large pen. At least, I didn’t feel like a prisoner out here.
One of my childhood friends saw me and ran over to my entourage. “Bella! It’s so good to see you out and about.” Camilla looked at me, and then her eyes roamed the Enforcers surrounding me. “Why, hello boys,” she said in a low, seductive voice.
Camilla and Beth were always boy crazy. “Hi, Cammy. I see you haven’t changed one bit.” Beth and I both laughed and walked closer to her.
My group of protectors came in closer, and I saw Ash giving Cammy a fierce glare.
I put my hand on Ash’s chest and stopped. “Hey, big guy, this is Cammy. She’s a part of my pack, and we’ve been friends since we could barely shift. You have nothing to worry about with her.”
Shaking my head, I reached out to hug my old friend. “I had heard you were visiting a different pack for a while. Did they all come here for the summer?” Mikey, Jr. had told me Cammy was looking at possibly mating with someone from the Lapland pack. They were a great pack, and I hoped she found herself the perfect mate.
Cammy licked her lips and was very obvious as she checked out Ash. “I came back here before the Round Up started. Nothing in Lapland held my attention for very long.”
I almost busted out laughing as Cammy winked at Ash, and his face turned pink. Since Ash was relatively new to our pack, he must not have come into contact with her before. This was going to be fun.
“Cammy, have you met our newest Enforcer, Ash?” I asked, trying to be polite as I introduced one of our pack’s biggest flirts to a wolf who seemed to be shy with the ladies. I couldn’t wait to see how this played out. Too bad he was already mated.
I wasn’t really a matchmaker, but if I could get Cammy to mate with one of our own wolves, she wouldn’t have to leave the pack. Cammy was what humans might call a man-eater. She was sweet as can be, but she loved to flirt. She never liked a wolf long enough to even entertain calling one her boyfriend. If it didn’t work out with someone from our pack, maybe a dragon would be able to hold her attention for any length of time.
When I heard Salvador come up, I thought about him for Cammy but immediately decided he wasn’t right for her. She was too high maintenance, and he seemed like he needed someone a little bit more chill.
“You didn’t wait for me?” Salvador whispered in my ear when he stood behind me.
I almost jumped when I realized he was only a few inches away from me. “Personal space, much?” I walked closer to Cammy.
When my friend took her eyes off Ash and they gazed upon Salvador, something inside of me growled. It was so embarrassing. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I stammered, “I … excuse me. I think my stomach is telling me it’s hungry.” I turned around and looked at the cookies in Salvador’s hand. “Are those for me?” I asked as I grabbed two of them and stuffed them in my mouth.
I really hoped no one realized it was my inner wolf who growled at Cammy for checking out Salvador. I had no clue where that came from. Sure, I didn’t think they made a good couple, but if the dragon wanted the biggest flirt on Earth, who was I to get in the way?
“Go right ahead, Princess.” Salvador smirked and put his empty hand out to meet Cammy. “I’m Salvador, personal assistant and errand boy to Isabel. Nice to meet you…?”
Cammy put on her sweetest smile and giggled before taking Salvador’s hand. “I’m Cammy, old friend to Bella. I heard what you did for her. That was so brave. Weren’t you afraid to get hurt? Four on one isn’t very good odds, even for a dragon.” She batted her eyelashes, and I had to work very hard to keep from rolling my eyes and gagging.
“Actually, it wasn’t a fair fight for the wolves. It’s kind of hard to go up against dragon fire when you’re covered in fur.” Salvador’s chuckle was deep, and something in my stomach fluttered.
I shook my head and began to walk away. Whatever was going on, she would be on to her next target soon enough. I just hoped she wouldn’t hurt Salvador. Most of the males she set her sights on didn’t stand a chance against her charm.
Walking away, the rest of the Enforcers followed me and quickly surrounded me again.
Beth was at my side and gave me a sly smile. “It looks like someone has caught Salvador’s eye. I wonder how long Cammy will give him her attention.”
I sighed. “Beth, come on. You know her as well as I do. By tomorrow there will be someone else she’s flirting with. I’m just surprised she’s already worked her way through the entire Lapland pack.” I giggled and turned around to make sure she hadn’t heard my comment. It wasn’t very nice, but it was true.
I liked Cammy, but I really did wish she would settle down and choose one male. I hated to see any of them get their hearts broken by her.
Chapter 20
Bella
“It’s time to head back inside, Bella,” Rock said after only about an hour outside.
“Do I have to?” I asked.
“Yes, we still need to find the pack responsible for your attack. Not to mention, we need to find Arkin and Brandr. It doesn’t sound like they were involved in this, but they could be the ones who attacked Jax.” Rock was right, he needed to get back to work.
I knew he wouldn’t let me go outside unless he was with me, so I grudgingly walked to the front door. “Do you think they were involved? I know it’s odd we haven’t seen them at all since the night I overheard them, but were they responsible? Or did something else happen to them?”
Even though I had asked Rock the question, it was Salvador who answered. “I do think we need to find them. What you heard and how you felt like you were being followed only makes things seem more likely that they were involved in Jax’s attack.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m so disappointed in the wolves this summer. I can’t believe any of our packs would stoop so low as to try and kill Jax. And then a second pack who tried to kill me.” I opened the front door and walked inside with everyone trailing behind me. “I guess I thought that since things had been going so well these past four years, all of the animosity and hatred were gone.”
“We all hoped that was the case. You’re not
alone in this,” Rock said before he gave me a side hug. “Why don’t you go into the kitchen? I smell something sweet baking.” He winked and turned to leave.
Before he got out of the house I said, “Thanks, Rock, for everything. I hope you find Arkin and discover he wasn’t part of any violence.”
Rock nodded and left the house. The rest of us made our way to the kitchen, which smelled of freshly baked pies and gingerbread cookies. The sweet scent of cinnamon and molasses permeated the air with a mix of apples. It was something I had missed while away at college. Beth and I may have had a kitchen, but we rarely cooked.
Lizzie looked up as we entered the room. “How was your outing? How do you feel?”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t long enough. And I feel fine, just like new. Why do I have to keep taking it easy? You healed me up, and it’s been a couple of days now. I need to shift, Lizzie.” I turned my pleading eyes on her and put my hands up in front of me in prayer gesture. “Please, let me shift.”
“You don’t have any lingering aches or pains? How about your head? Do you have a headache?” Lizzie inquired.
“I don’t ache at all. I’m just feeling very restless,” I complained.
“All right, if you are still feeling good the next time Rock comes by, you can go out and shift. But I don’t want you to go alone. Rock or a team of his Enforcers need to go with you. Understood?”
I nodded and smiled. “Yes, thank you, Lizzie!” I was so excited I couldn’t contain myself. I jumped up and down like a kid in a candy store. My poor wolf had been whimpering ever since we woke up. She needed to get out and run. Wolf shifters needed to run on a regular basis. We never went more than two days without shifting and letting our inner animal free.
Later that day, Rock came around, and he had some really great news for all of us.
Rock entered the kitchen and greeted us all. “Ladies, I have some news you might want to sit down for. But first, do you have any cookies left?”
Miss Claus and the Christmas Wedding (A Shifter Christmas Romance Book 3) Page 13