But not yet. For now, she’d keep her little boy close. She smiled over at him while she got started on the baseboards. He looked so much like his father, with his mop of black hair and his bright blue eyes.
“I can help, Momma,” he shouted.
She knew it was better to let him help when feasible. He had so much energy. Those of her kind were quiet and still—she’d been called eerie more than once—but her child had taken fully after his father. Rowan never stopped moving. She wet a rag and handed it to him.
“Run the cloth over this part of the board, like this,” she said, showing him how to clean the baseboards with her. With great enthusiasm, Rowan began to scrub the decorative trim that surrounded the hardwood floor. She reminded him, “Not too hard.”
He was frequently overzealous when he tried to help. They’d ended up paying for more than one repair after he applied too much force to whatever task he was doing. Yet, despite the hardships of never having any childcare, she wouldn’t trade her life for anything.
3
Brennan
The resort in Rosemary Beach was perfect. Brennan had been assigned a grubby hotel room through the conference, but Kellan had found them a private house on the beach. They only had to step out the door onto a wooden deck and walk down five steps to be on the path to the beach.
Brennan couldn’t even bring himself to sleep inside the first night they were there. Instead, he dragged a blanket out to the large balcony and slept in the hammock there. All night, he inhaled the warm, salty air.
The house was a sprawling three stories. Kellan and his family took the first floor, Quinn and his family took the second, and Brennan shared the top floor with Liam and his wife.
The sun rose, casting vivid colors over the picturesque beach. He wrapped up the paperwork he’d brought with him, then met everyone at a seaside restaurant. The kids were thrilled with the selection of fresh fish, and they happily cleaned their plates. After they finished, their parents let Declan take them all down to the sandy area that was set up for kids to play in while their parents relaxed. All of the adults ordered big margaritas.
Quinn clapped Brennan on the back. “I have to say, I wasn’t initially in favor of this trip, but you were right.”
Brennan took a mock bow. “Aren’t I always?”
Liam nodded. “We should do this more often. We still need to visit our island, but having these kinds of experiences are nice too.”
He put his arm around his mate, and they smiled over at the place where Declan was holding baby Finn in the sand, trying to show him how to use a shovel. Finn ignored his instruction, choosing instead to eat a fistful of sand. Shannon and Isleen worked together to fill a bucket, only to dump it out as soon as it was full.
Brennan sipped his margarita. He was as happy as he’d ever been, but an odd feeling had been with him all day long. If he thought back on it, it had probably started as soon as he landed in Destin, and it had only grown stronger as he approached Rosemary Beach. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. It almost felt like the presence of another dragon shifter, yet the feeling wasn’t quite like the connection he had with his brothers.
Clara and Juliana went to check on the kids, and Brennan shifted in his chair to face his brothers and Brynne. “Do any of you feel that?”
Always willing to listen, Liam leaned forward. “Feel what?”
“I feel something. There’s an awareness in my mind. It wasn’t there in Texas.”
“Does it feel like one of us?” Liam asked.
Brennan took a sip of his drink and focused. “No, it’s not exactly like one of us, but it’s close.”
Kellan pressed his lips together. “Do you think there might be a shifter in Rosemary Beach?”
Brennan shrugged. “I can’t think of any other explanation.”
“Are you going to look for him or her?” Liam asked.
Around him, trays clanged, plates clacked onto the wooden tables, and chairs scraped across the floor, but Brennan’s only focus was the new feeling he was experiencing. “I feel like I have to.”
“Do you want our help?” Quinn asked.
“No,” Brennan said. “I just wanted to see if you could feel it.”
Liam leaned back and closed his eyes. A frown appeared on his face. “I feel the tiniest twinge, but it’s nothing close to what I feel with any of you.”
“So it’s nothing like how the kids feel to you? Or Brynne?”
Brennan wasn’t looking for a mate or even a girlfriend, but it would be nice to know if he was looking for a male or a female and whether he was looking for an adult or a child shifter before starting his search.
Liam’s eyes blinked open. “Yes, it feels different from Brynne and the children, but I feel each of you differently.”
Brennan was well aware that Liam’s feelings toward his mate were very different from the connection he felt with his brothers or his nieces and nephews.
Quinn scooted his seat closer. “How far away do you think this shifter could be?”
“I think he or she must be close by. I can feel you guys from quite far away, but this one is new to me.” Brennan knew that Liam could feel Brynne halfway across the world, but that kind of distance was unusual.
Up until that point, Brynne had been quiet. Now she exhaled. “We need to find him or her. If you guys can’t stay and look, I will.” Her voice trembled as she spoke. “It’s not right for him or her to be alone.” She tilted her head to the side. “Does it feel like just one?”
Brennan nodded. “Yes, it feels like just one shifter.”
Brynne’s narrowed. “Then there’s no question. If it’s just one shifter, we have a duty to track him or her down. No one should have to be alone.“
Liam wrapped his arm around Brynne. They were all familiar with how Brynne had struggled. She had been a member of their clan in Ireland as a child, but after the witches destroyed their clan, she’d been left alone. A vampire had rescued her, but he’d allowed her to grow up while thinking she was the only dragon shifter that had survived the attack on their home. Brennan would never want anyone to suffer the way she had.
Brennan put his hand over Brynne’s. “I won’t give up until I find this shifter. I promise you that.”
Brynne squeezed his hand. He could see the relief in her eyes. “Thank you.”
Kellan’s hand joined theirs. “None of us will give up. We won’t stop until we’ve found this shifter.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be too difficult. The longer I’m here, the stronger the feeling gets,” Brennan said. “You guys take the kids back to the house, and I’ll drive around for a bit and see if the feeling gets any more intense.”
His family all hugged him, and Brennan set off. He drove all over Rosemary Beach, but the feeling stayed the same. It was a pinpoint in his head, always present but never changing. By two o’clock in the morning, he was exhausted, and he decided to call it a night. Realizing he could feel another shifter—in Florida, of all places—was a big enough revelation for one day. He went to the beach house to sleep and dreamed all night of flying over the coast of Ireland, constantly searching for the dragon they were missing.
Brennan was back up at sunrise. All three of his brothers met him as he opened the front door, each of them offering to help.
“No. You guys go on your deep sea fishing tour. Go parasailing. Do the things that Declan wants to do. If I need help, I’ll call.”
They reluctantly agreed, and Brennan set off again. He searched all day. He walked through tourist stores with giant seashells on the wall, he sat in fancy ice cream shops, and he scoped out high-rise condominiums. He walked through an open-air bar, fondly remembering the night that he’d spent on the beach not far from here a few years ago with a gorgeous woman named Fallon.
She was tall and mysterious, with a lithe build. Many men had hit on her, but she’d brushed them all off until Brennan said hello to her. She’d given him a small half-smile, and he’d sworn her
green eyes had shimmered, just as her golden-red hair had shone in the moonlight.
She’d immediately heard the traces of Ireland in his voice when they first met that night. He and his brothers had worked hard to eliminate their accents to fit in better, and for the most part, no one in Texas noticed a hint of anything that wasn’t Texan. But Fallon had.
“It’s a habit,” he’d said, but he’d dropped all pretense, and he’d indulged himself while he was with her, letting go and not worrying about blending in.
They’d only spent one night together, but it had been one of the most memorable nights of his life. He’d never forget it. Fallon had been alluring, fun, and carefree. She’d also been an enigma. She was friendly and outgoing while also being reserved and self-possessed with a quiet confidence that he’d admired all night.
Occasionally, he wondered where she was these days. At that point, she’d been a college junior, twenty-one-years old, and working toward her chemical engineering degree. She’d mentioned that she had an internship lined up in California. He hoped she’d gotten the job she wanted.
After a thorough search, he left the touristy section and headed toward the residential area. Maybe the shifter lived in one of the spectacular waterfront homes. Maybe he or she was extremely wealthy like Kellan and had a mansion with floor-to-ceiling windows and a yacht parked in the marina.
No matter how rich, it wouldn’t make up for the lack of a clan. He really hoped this shifter wasn’t alone like Brynne had been.
He was still pissed at Nicolae, the vampire who’d raised Brynne, for lying to her about the rest of them. Nicolae had claimed that he had good reasons to tell her no other shifters survived, but Brennan didn’t give a shit what those reasons were. She’d deserved to know the truth. At least this shifter was unlikely to be living with vampires. Vampires hated the heat and avoided Florida as much as possible. They never failed to mention their distaste for Texas when they visited.
Brennan drove along the street, glancing at the swaying palm trees and the manicured lawns. Most of the homes were stucco monstrosities, either pale yellow or solid white. Their driveways were gated, and behind the homes, he could see gleaming swimming pools.
As he drove, the feeling intensified. He was getting closer.
He kept going, slowing the car down to a crawl. There. The shifter was inside that house or close by. He parked his car on the street, hoping the regular Jeep he’d rented wouldn’t be towed away by an incensed homeowner.
He pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. Just as he took one step toward the gate, ready to press the button, a woman stepped out of the house. The woman was stunning. Tall and willowy, she had the grace of a runway model. Even in her plain navy capri pants and white top, she looked like she could have stepped off a movie set.
She looked familiar. He studied the long, reddish-gold hair that flowed over her shoulders and the grace with which she moved. Was it possible that this was Fallon? The woman he’d been with years ago? She definitely wasn’t a shifter. When he reached his awareness out toward her, all he got was a blank spot.
But he couldn’t spend too long contemplating the woman or who she was because next to her stood a young boy. The woman tried to take the boy’s hand, but he laughed and shook his head. She smiled indulgently and descended the steps. While she walked, the boy crouched down and jumped, clearing all five steps at once. When he landed, he didn’t falter. The woman didn’t scold him or tell him to be careful. She didn’t even look back at him.
She knows he’s different.
She must have realized he was an odd child, or maybe the doctor had explained it away, just as they’d learned to explain Declan’s strength by saying he had a genetic condition that caused him to have strong bones.
She knows it doesn’t matter if he falls.
She knew he wouldn’t break his leg, or his collarbone, or even skin his knees. This kid was the shifter he’d been searching for. Brennan sucked in a deep breath as his heart sped up. There was something else. What he felt wasn’t just the pull that happened when another of his kind was nearby. This was different. It was something he hadn’t felt in over fifteen years—the tug of a dragon shifter who was connected to him by blood.
The woman wasn’t a stranger, and this child wasn’t just a misplaced shifter he’d found by chance. This was Fallon, the woman he’d slept with years ago. She’d grown more beautiful with each passing year, but that didn’t matter right now.
The child with her was Brennan’s son.
His dragon roared. My son. Mine.
4
Fallon
Fallon stood frozen on the sidewalk of the mansion she’d just cleaned. Her stomach dropped. A man was standing on the other side of the wrought-iron gate, watching Fallon and her son. His eyes had lingered on her at first, but then they’d moved to focus on Rowan.
Fallon took a step back. The intensity of his gaze had her senses on high alert. Who the fuck was this? He didn’t have the bearing of one of the vampires, not that they often ventured to this area. Although he was in very good shape, he didn’t have the lanky build of one of her kind.
He stood, transfixed, with his hands in his pockets. To a casual observer, he looked like a resident of one of these extravagant homes.
Oh, fuck. She recognized him. It was Brennan. He was her one-night stand from five years ago. He was the father of her child.
What the hell is he doing here? How did he find us? Oh, shit. He’s going to see that I take Rowan to work with me all day. What if he thinks that means he deserves custody?
As her thoughts swirled madly, Brennan continued to stare at his child, the child who was now doing a handstand on the grass next to her, a skill that most four-year-olds would never be able to master.
Although, from what she knew of dragon shifters, it wouldn’t take a skilled handstand to reveal that Rowan wasn’t a regular child. Another shifter would immediately know since they had the ability to feel each other, especially if they were in close proximity.
She had not been near the dragon shifters’ village when the witch coven had attacked them, but she remembered hearing about it years later. It had rocked the supernatural world in Ireland for years afterward.
It was only a matter of time, maybe even minutes or seconds, before Brennan realized that Rowan was his son. What would he do then? Would Brennan be angry that she had not tried to look for him? Would he even know that she hadn’t tried? How much time would he want with Rowan? Five years ago, Brennan had been a sheriff. That was a stable job. Would he take her to court? Would he try to gain full custody?
When she was growing up in Ireland, going to a human court would have been unthinkable, but Brennan had obviously learned to blend in with humans and even work with them. If he did take her to court, what were her options? She could go back to Ireland. She could ask her sister for help. Right, because that went so well the last time when Fallon had called her sister for support after Rowan was born. She was aware of her family’s opinions on dragon shifters. She was also aware that her family resented that she was only half-Fae. That would never work.
Fear was the main reason she hadn’t looked for him, even though she’d been so alone and so desperate. Since she fled Ireland and moved to the United States, her life’s dream had been to become a chemical engineer. She excelled in physics and chemistry. She earned a full scholarship to The Georgia Institute of Technology. Everything was going according to plan until that night on the beach when she met Brennan. She’d left Georgia for a week to go to the beach with her friends, and she came home with a souvenir that would last a lifetime—baby Rowan.
No matter what, she would not change a thing. Rowan had been the greatest joy of her life. She treasured every moment with him. She sometimes wished that she could give him a different life, but she had to delay finishing her education until he was old enough to learn to control himself. At four, he was doing a much better job than he had even at three. So she suspected that by the time he wa
s five or six, she might be able to send him to a small school.
“Fallon,” Brennan said. His deep voice resonated through her body.
At the same moment that he called out her name, Rowan dropped out of his handstand and flopped onto the grass. He looked up when he heard Brennan’s voice. He got to his feet and started to walk toward the gate.
Even as a baby, Rowan had been a jovial child and very friendly once he got to know a person. But for most of his life, he’d been distrustful of strangers. Fallon did nothing to discourage this, figuring that it would only help him not expose his true nature. So she was shocked when he began to walk right toward Brennan.
Brennan had, apparently, grown tired of waiting, and he reached toward the lock. The homeowners had given her the code, and they insisted that she keep the gate locked at all times. She assumed he was going to yank it off, but then she’d be on the hook for replacing it.
“Wait,” she yelled. There was no getting away from him now. She might as well go face the music. There was no point in having a security recording of him breaking a lock or ripping a steel gate to pieces.
As she punched in the code, Rowan, impatient with her delays, began to climb the fence.
“Please get down,” she said in her calmest voice.
She grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged. Without protesting, he dropped back to the ground, but his eyes were still glued to Brennan. When she pulled open the gate, Brennan didn’t move forward. He simply crouched down, waiting.
Rowan bolted straight into his arms.
5
Brennan
It felt like it took a fucking eternity for Fallon to get the gate open. Brennan could have easily climbed the gate, or even knocked it flat to the ground, but he didn’t want to cause trouble for his son. If Fallon lived here, he didn’t want her neighbors to think she was being attacked.
Sheriff Dragon's Secret Baby (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 4) Page 2