“I do want him full time.” Brennan put his hand on top of hers, where it rested in the sand. “But I wouldn’t take him from you.”
You say that, but you don’t realize that I know you’re a dragon shifter. You won’t be able to help yourself.
She pulled her hand away. “You don’t know that.”
“I do know that. You have my word. I will not take him from you.”
She closed her eyes. She couldn’t get much of a reading on a dragon shifter, but her senses told her that he was sincere.
When she opened her eyes again, he was staring at her. “I want to solve this. Today. I won’t take him from you, but I will be his father. I need him in my life, but more importantly, he needs me.”
He was right. She wasn’t sure what kind of delusion had made her think that she could ever hide from a dragon shifter.
“I can tell you’ve noticed that Rowan is not like other children,” he said.
Was he about to confess to her? Would he tell her the truth about his nature? How long would she hold on to her own secret? “Yes. I have noticed.”
“You told me he had strong bones, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Rowan is like me.”
Should she just tell him now and save them both the trouble? No, he already didn’t trust her. She would wait. “How is he like you?”
“He’s strong. He doesn’t get injured when he plays too rough.” Brennan picked up a handful of sand and let the grains sift through his fingers. “He can hear really well. He can see really well. I don’t think I’ll be able to explain it. I need to show you and Rowan both. As soon as he’s done digging, I’m going to take you both into the jungle.”
She nodded. The two of them sat there for another thirty minutes, watching Rowan play in the sand. Once he was done, Brennan wasted no time renting an open-air Jeep and driving to the center of the island toward the rainforest.
She could save them the trouble of this trip by telling him she already knew the truth, but she’d never seen a rainforest, and neither had Rowan. Plus, Rowan needed to see with his own eyes what a dragon shifter transformation looked like.
Shifting was going to be a part of his life, and the sooner he learned, the better off he’d be.
The sound of lively music faded, and so did the scent of cigars and rum as they left the city behind. In the rainforest, surrounded by lush green plants, they heard the cries of exotic birds. A bright yellow parakeet fluttered right in front of them as they bumped along the dirt path. Once the Jeep could go no further, Brennan parked. Before she could say a word, Rowan had launched himself from the Jeep onto his father’s shoulders.
She had to accept that the situation was now fully out of her control.
Brennan sat Rowan on the ground and crouched in front of him. “There’s something I have to show you and your mom.”
Rowan looked up at him eagerly, eyes wide.
Brennan patted him on the head. “Do you know how you’re always stronger than the other kids? And how if you fall down, it doesn’t hurt too much, but it does for other kids?”
Rowan nodded. “Yeah. We went to the park, and Joey got his finger stuck in the chains on the swing. There was lots of blood! He screamed so loud.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. That doesn’t happen to you, though, right?”
“No. Never, ever. Momma said my bones are strong.”
“They are. But I’m going to show you why they’re strong.” Brennan stripped off his shirt and shorts. He left his boxers on. He must keep a lot of extras for this very reason.
Then the humid air seemed to shimmer around him, and he began to change. His eyes turned yellow, his skin rippled into scales, and large, powerful wings appeared behind his back. His muscular tail thrashed against the leafy ground.
Fallon let her jaw fall open. She could feign shock, with her powers, and give off the aura of a stunned human.
She looked over at her son, who wasn’t shocked at all. He had a look of recognition on his face. His eyes said, “Yes. This is me. Now it all makes sense,” even if he was too young to articulate that point in words.
His little hands came together, and his shoulders seemed to sag in pure relief. This is what she almost kept from him. She walked over and sat down next to him, wrapping one arm around his shoulders.
Brennan tipped his head back and opened his strong jaws. He exhaled and breathed fire into the sky.
Rowan screeched in excitement. “Fire, Momma! He can do it!”
“He sure can.”
Rowan jumped up and down as Brennan’s large wings began to beat. He leaped into the air and flapped his wings, flying in low circles. He dropped back to the ground. He stepped close to Rowan, and immediately, Rowan lifted his hand. He didn’t hesitate to reach out and rub the palm of his hand over Brennan’s neck.
Brennan nuzzled him, then stepped back again and shifted back into his human form. He reached down and grabbed his shorts, pulling them on. Then he sat down and waited for Rowan to come to him.
“You’re a dragon,” Rowan said. His voice was hushed. Fallon had never heard him speak so quietly.
“Yes.”
“Am I a dragon too?”
Tears pricked at Fallon’s eyes. Her throat stung with emotion. His face was so full of wonder. He wasn’t alarmed or scared. He knew, on some level, that he wasn’t human. He felt it deep in his soul that he was a dragon shifter and that he was different, even from her.
“Yeah,” Brennan said. His voice was husky. “You’re a dragon too.” He held out his arms, and Rowan collapsed into them. “We’re called shifters.”
“Shifters.” Rowan repeated the word with reverence. “Can I do that? Can I make myself into a dragon?”
“Yes. You can. You’re getting old enough. You’ve probably already made your eyes turn yellow without realizing it.”
Rowan tugged on her arm. “Have I done that, Momma? Have my eyes been yellow?”
“A few times. Last year, when that kid pushed your friend off the slide at the park, your eyes were yellow for a long time,” Fallon said. Luckily, they’d been outside in the sun, and no one had noticed anything odd.
“I’ll teach you to control it. As you get older, it’s going to be really important for you to try to blend in with other kids when you’re with them. We only transform when we’re completely alone or when we’re with other shifters.”
Rowan’s mouth gaped again. “Are there kid shifters?”
“Yes. Absolutely. I know four of them.”
“Momma!” Rowan grabbed onto my leg. “There are kids like me!”
“That’s great, honey. I’m so happy.” She really would lose him now. Not because Brennan would kidnap him, but because he wanted to be around others like him.
Tears began to leak from her eyes then. Not wanting to ruin Rowan’s special day, she excused herself and went to sit in the Jeep. From behind the windshield, she watched the two of them—heads close together, identical dark hair—and she cried.
Fae don’t cry, her sister’s voice said inside her head.
Shut up. Unlike you, I’m human too.
She would cry, and she would mourn the life she’d lost. She’d just have to hope that she gained an even better life, one that included her son.
11
Brennan
Fallon was being so damn weird. Brennan expected some weirdness. He’d never told a human he was a shifter before. It was a head trip. Both Kellan and Quinn had human wives, and Clara, Kellan’s wife, had found out he was a shifter during the middle of an epic showdown with a bunch of murderous witches.
It had been pretty traumatic for her. Juliana, Quinn’s wife, found out in a similar circumstance. Some crazy people from her past had tried to kidnap her, and Quinn had shifted to protect her. It had not been an easy day for any of them. So Brennan was trying to handle this the right way. He was honest with her, and he told her all the details that she needed to know.
Her reaction had been somewhat subdued. S
ure, her jaw had dropped, and she’d been somewhat shocked, but she hadn’t said much. Now she was sitting inside the Jeep.
He needed to check on her. It was a lot to digest. “Hey, buddy,” he said to Rowan. “Stand here with your eyes closed, and imagine wings coming out of your back, just like mine did.” He patted Rowan on the shoulder. “I’m going to talk to your mom.”
Rowan was happy to have a task, and he immediately squeezed his eyes shut.
Inside the Jeep, Fallon stared straight ahead. Her eyes were glued to her son, and tears rolled down her cheeks. The Jeep was open, so it wasn’t like she didn’t notice him standing there, but she said nothing. She didn’t even look his way.
He tapped on the door frame. “Hey, Fallon. Are you okay?”
She wiped at her eyes. When she turned to him, her face was completely composed. The tears rolled down her face, but her eyes were not red and puffy. When she spoke, her voice didn’t break. “I’m fine. I’m just still processing.”
“Hopefully, everything makes sense now.”
“It does,” she said.
“You don’t seem upset that your son’s not human.”
She turned her crystalline eyes toward him. “How could I be upset about that?”
Well, Clara had been pretty pissed. Not that Declan wasn’t human, exactly, but that Kellan hadn’t been honest when he hired her. “I can think of a few reasons.”
She blinked at him. The tears had stopped, but her cheeks were still wet. She found a napkin in the glove compartment and blotted at her wet cheeks. “What are they?”
“Like you being angry with me because I created this whole situation by having a one-night stand with you.”
“You couldn’t very well tell me then, could you?.”
“No. But I didn’t have to sleep with a human either. I made that choice, and you didn’t have all the information.”
“I don’t regret it.” A faint smile crossed over her lips. “It’s been difficult but worth it.”
Just then, Rowan jumped up high in the air. “I almost did it. Momma! I felt something.”
“That’s great, honey!” Fallon called out. “Keep working on it.”
She got out of the Jeep and came to stand beside Brennan, where she could see Rowan more clearly. “I’m glad he has you. I’m glad that he’ll have the rest of your family.”
He was still irritated that she ran off and tried to leave him behind, but he found that his irritation was quickly fading out. There was a melancholy air about her that hadn’t been there five years ago. Hell, it hadn’t been there two days ago. He wanted to fix it for her.
He grabbed her hand and held it in his. “He’s still going to have you too. He still needs his mother.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
He was going to teach Rowan to shift, and he was going to cheer Fallon up.
Back at the beach house, Brennan couldn’t help but watch Fallon as she walked with Rowan back out to the ocean.
Rowan had successfully mastered shifting, and now he wanted to try it under the ocean water. Brennan was willing to help him with that skill, too, but first, he needed to see what Fallon was thinking. He’d already underestimated her once.
If he could go back in time, he’d never have left her after that magical night they shared. He’d have asked her out on a real date, and he’d have gotten to know her. They’d have raised their baby together for the past four years. He’d be a family man, just like all his brothers, instead of a bachelor.
But he couldn’t go back in time, so he had to make the most of the present. Which meant somehow winning over a very mercurial woman who kept trying to make him into the enemy.
Sharing Fallon’s bed two nights ago had been just as good as the first time. He wanted to do it again, but she would barely look at him. He couldn’t stop the attraction he felt toward her, and his feelings went beyond just physical attraction. She fascinated him. He wanted to spend time with her and get to know everything about her.
She was just making it really fucking hard
“Momma, are you getting in too?” Rowan asked.
“Yes. I think I will,” Fallon said.
“Be careful. The water looks choppy,” Brennan said. Rowan would be fine, but he wanted Fallon to be safe too.
Under her sundress, she wore a simple navy blue bra and panties. She must not have packed a swimsuit in her haste to get away from Florida and get out of the country.
“Do you need some sunscreen?” he asked her. She was Irish, and her smooth, creamy skin looked like it would burn to a crisp under the hot Caribbean sun.
She looked down at her bare arm. It took her a few seconds to answer. “Yes. I suppose I better.”
The house they were renting had left plenty of tubes of sunscreen. He jogged up the porch and grabbed the entire basket. “They don’t have the spray-on kind here. They only have the cream. Would you like some help?”
She turned her lovely green eyes up to look at him. “Please.”
Of course, his cock got rock hard. It didn’t matter that she wanted nothing to do with him or that she had literally left the country to get away from him. His body still reacted. He wanted her. Memories of the previous nights they’d spent together flashed through his mind. Her red hair fanned across the pillow. Her delicate hands on his chest. Her toned legs wrapped around his waist.
He picked up the tube of sunscreen and poured a generous amount into his hands. He rubbed his hands together. Shifters ran hot, so he’d have it warm in no time. Her thick golden hair covered her shoulders and back, where he needed to rub in the lotion.
“Pull your hair up,” he said.
She gathered her thick locks into one hand and pulled all of it around to the front. Then she pulled a rubber band from her wrist and tied all of it into a knot on top of her head.
He admired her straight posture and the line of her feminine shoulders. He reached out with both hands and placed his palms on her shoulder blades. She didn’t cringe away from the thick lotion. Her posture grew even straighter as he rubbed the lotion down her spine and over the plains of her smooth skin. He made sure to cover the tops of her shoulders and the tops of her arms.
“Would you like me to do your chest?” He didn’t mean her breasts or her cleavage but the exposed part of her neck. Her collar bones were likely to get burned as well.
“Yes.“ She turned to face him, still sitting cross-legged. She tipped her head back, exposing her throat and chest to him.
Now his cock was throbbing. He poured more sunscreen into the palm of his hand and rubbed them together, warming it. He spread it over her chest and down her collarbone. He was sure not to go low enough to touch the round swell of her breasts.
Her icy facade cracked for just a moment, and she let out a tiny moan. As soon as she moaned, her eyes blinked open, and the private moment they’d shared was over. Color flooded her cheeks, and she scooted away from him.
“Thank you for the sunscreen.” She touched her chest and continued spreading the sunscreen into her skin. “If you take him out to shift, watch out for drones. I haven’t seen any here, but they’re everywhere in Florida. There are all kinds of laws, but people ignore them.”
“I’ll be careful, I promise,” he said. “I can hear the buzzing sound they make, so I’ll know if they’re close. I’ll teach Rowan to listen for them too.”
It was a good skill to have, and Brennan could spend a little time bonding with his son, teaching him to shift in the ocean.
12
Fallon
“Mr. Brennan! Watch!”
A faint frown appeared on Brennan’s face every time Rowan referred to him as mister, which meant he was frowning a lot because Rowan said his name non-stop.
“When are you going to tell him I’m his father?” he asked.
There was no point in putting it off, Fallon knew. Brennan was his father, and Rowan had a right to know that. “I’ll do it right now.”
“Is the
re a reason you’ve been putting it off?” he asked.
“It’s hard to explain. For four years, it’s been me and him, alone in the world. As you know, he was different, even as a baby. He didn’t have a lot of babysitters, and he hasn’t been to preschool. I’ve never been away from him, even overnight. The minute I tell him you’re his father, everything changes.”
“Everything will change, but it will change for the better. Not just for me, but for Rowan too.”
“I know,” she said.
“Do you want me to do it?”
“No. I’m going to do it right now.” She pulled her sundress off over her head and let it fall to the sand. She had planned for an escape, not a vacation. They were on a private beach, so her bra and panties would have to suffice as a swimsuit. “I’m going to take him for a swim and tell him.”
She was very aware of Brennan’s eyes on her. She was aware that she was parading around in a bra and underwear in front of him. She hadn’t planned it that way, but she wouldn’t lie to herself—she liked knowing that she turned him on.
She bent down next to Rowan, who was chasing crabs at the edge of the water. “Come swim with me.”
Her son abandoned the crabs. He chased after her, splashing through the waves as they threatened to knock him down. Once they were in the deeper water, she paused and pulled him to her.
“I have something important to tell you.”
“Are we leaving again?” Rowan asked.
“No. We will leave once all three of us are ready.”
“Mr. Brennan is coming too?”
“Yes, he’ll come.” She didn’t want her son worrying about his dad disappearing from his life again.
“I know that Brennan already talked to you about shifting when we were in the rainforest, but this part I want to tell you myself. Brennan isn’t just a friend of mine. He’s your father.”
“Father? Brennan’s my dad? Like Noah has a dad?”
Noah was a five-year-old boy who lived near them. He was an only child like Rowan, and he lived with both of his parents. “Yes, just like that.”
Sheriff Dragon's Secret Baby (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 4) Page 6