As he flew closer, he spotted one of the witches. She looked exactly like she had thirteen years ago. He wanted to rip her head off. He could do it. He could grip her in his talons, and tear her head from her body. No witch’s spell would be able to undo the damage.
But he could not. She knew where his son was. Until he found Declan, he needed her alive.
He landed gracefully, feeling the earth shake slightly.
Declan. Here in their homeland, where the magic was more concentrated, he could feel his son. The feeling was faint, but it was there. Declan was alive, and he was safe. He had to hope that Clara was too.
In the blink of an eye, Kellan changed into a human to speak to the witch.
“Niamh,” he said. “You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“Oh, young, naïve Kellan. I know exactly what I’ve done.”
Standing in front of this vile creature who’d killed his mother and his father was a burning pain inside his soul. Yet knowing she had Declan and Clara was much worse. “I want to see them.”
“All in good time.”
Kellan took a step forward. At his height, he was physically much larger than Niamh, but she didn’t flinch. “Take me to them.”
“I will. Once you agree to my terms.”
“I’m waiting to hear what those terms are.”
“You always were so impatient. I want you back here. I want you leading the dragons again,” Niamh said. “For good.”
None of Kellan’s tribe remained. And the other dragons who’d scattered across the continent would hardly accept Kellan back into their midst, not after he’d declared himself a Texan. “Back in Ireland? Why?”
“You know why. Your clan was the reason the witches had land. Our pact made it possible for us to thrive. Without the dragons, we’ve been reduced to a tiny patch of land near the border of Northern Ireland. We want to be back here, at the Cliffs.”
“That’s your fault,” Kellan said. “You’re the one who started slaughtering humans.”
“They deserved everything that came upon them.”
“They didn’t. And then you went up against the vampires, which was nothing more than foolish.”
She pointed a shaking finger at him. “Do not presume to tell me what was foolish. Your selfish mother and your idealistic father abandoned all of us.”
Kellan roared, letting fire erupt from his mouth.
Niamh put up a shield, protecting herself from the blast. “If you do that again, you may not see the simpering Clara again. Follow my rules, and I’ll let you keep her as one keeps a pet.”
His stomach rolled. Bile stung his throat. He had to keep himself in check. For Declan. For Clara. “How did you know I was here?”
“You have become more powerful, Kellan Tiernan Cormac. We felt your presence, even over here. We were standing up in Glentoskert, on the tiny scratch of land we’ve been surviving on for over a decade. And what happened? We came to feel a shift in the fabric of our magic. We felt you, the one who should be leading a dragon-shifter clan. Each of us knew something had happened. Then half a day passed and one of the Scottish witches paid us a visit.”
“The Scottish witches? I didn’t know there were any.”
“Oh lad, we’re all over Europe now. We have to split up to survive. Otherwise, the vampires would have eaten us years ago.” She pressed her hands together and stared at him. “Will you accept our terms?”
16
Clara
The little plane bumped along in the sky. Clara didn’t have a lot of confidence that they’d survive the landing. She gripped the seat on the way down, tightening her grip as the wheels hit the tarmac.
The witch stood and waved her hand over Declan. The air shimmered, and whatever force field had been around him faded out.
She threw her seatbelt off and jumped in front of him, kneeling on the floor and grabbing his hands. “Are you okay? Can you talk now?”
“I could always talk.” He took a moment to shoot a dagger-like glare at the woman. “She just wouldn’t let me.”
How had she stopped him? Even threatening a five-year-old usually didn’t have an effect that lasted hours.
“We’ll be walking off the plane very nicely,” the woman said. “Act as if you want to be with me. If one of you tries to escape, you will regret that choice.” She took Declan’s chin in her hand.
The sight of her touching him sent Clara’s instincts into overdrive, and she pushed the woman’s hand away. “Don’t touch him.”
The woman rose up. She wasn’t taller than Clara. But her eyes were hard and cruel. “Do not lay your filthy human hands on me again.”
Clara squared her shoulders, ready to deal with whatever came her way, when she looked down at Declan. He was shaking his head.
“No, Miss Clara. Let’s go with them.”
She knelt back in front of him and took him into her arms. “What did she say to you? I promise you can tell me.”
He laid his head on her shoulder, and it broke Clara’s heart. He was never this still. “Just do what they say. It’s better that way,” he said. His little arms wound around her neck and she stood, lifting him with her.
The woman took his chin in her hand again, and it was all Clara could do not to put Declan down and punch the woman in the face.
“Little beast. I’m pleased. You remembered your place.”
Declan looked far from pleased with her praise, if his mutinous expression was anything to go by. And why does she keep calling him a beast? Clara had never been a violent person, but she adored Declan from the moment she met him, standing up on top of that swingset. And she’d come to love him during the weeks that she’d cared for him.
If this woman intended to harm Declan, Clara would die trying to prevent that from happening. They walked across the tarmac to a large SUV. Clara had always heard to never let a kidnapper take you to another location. What would be better? To grab Declan and try to run? Or to run, and try to get help for Declan?
The pilot stepped from the cockpit, and a pit of black despair opened up in Clara’s stomach. The pilot looked exactly like Eithne, except her hair was very long, and very black.
Eithne touched the second woman on the arm. “This is Roisin. She is the second-highest-ranking witch in our coven.” With that, Eithne opened the SUV door and began to arrange a few boxes inside.
“It is not nice to meet you,” Declan shouted. And he rushed forward and kicked her in the shin.
Roisin was clearly caught off-guard because she didn’t have the magic trick of a shield ready that Eithne did. Roisin fell to the ground, clutching her shin and groaning while Declan moved over her to kick again.
Maybe this was their chance. Clara scooped up his small body into her arms and she began to run. She ran as fast as she could, ducking between cars, weaving in and out of the parking spots. He wiggled down from her arms and grabbed her hand.
“Come on. Faster,” he said, urging Clara forward.
What had happened back there? Declan was strong – Kellan had warned her about his genetic condition. But even so, a kick in the shin hurt, but it wasn’t debilitating. It wouldn’t affect an adult like it had affected Roisin. Maybe there was something wrong with her too. Clara wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
He tugged her, pulling her as he ran faster than she’d ever seen him run, even when they were racing. He outpaced Clara easily. Finally, they reached a small building on the tarmac and Declan kicked at the door.
With a loud bang, it burst open, revealing only hundreds of orange cone lane markers. Clara glanced around wildly, but no one was inside. She shoved the door closed and began moving a heavy shelf in front of it, when the air grew much colder.
She turned, full of trepidation. Her fears were not unfounded. Standing in the little storage building was Roisin.
Roisin let out a screeching howl. “You think I am going to tolerate that behavior, lad?”
“I think you should go away!” Declan screame
d.
“You truly are a monster,” she said, seething.
Declan took a very deep breath, but before he could scream again, Roisin darted forward. She grabbed Clara around the throat. “If you make a move, little monster, I’ll kill her. Is that what you would like to happen?”
Declan froze.
His eyes went glassy for a second. Then they began to glow yellow. His skin rippled, and turned a greenish-silver. His shirt ripped, and wings burst out of his back. The wings stretched far above his head, touching the ceiling of the storage building, and he flapped them once.
He opened his mouth and roared, and flames shot out of his mouth. Roisin shoved Clara away from her and launched herself at Declan.
But she didn’t get far. He roared again, and the wall of the building ignited. Flames climbed up the wall, and caught the ceiling on fire too.
Eithne came rushing in and grabbed Clara, hauling her from the building. Through the open door, she shouted at Declan. “Declan, son of Kellan. If you want to see your nanny again, then unshift and get out of this burning building.”
Declan stood there, chest heaving. Within seconds, his eyes turned back to blue. His wings disappeared. And his skin tone turned back to a light tan.
What just happened? That was no magic trick. Declan transformed himself. Into a…dragon?
That’s not possible.
Clara had been drugged, dragged away to a plane, and flown to another country. The drugs must have had some kind of hallucinogen in them, like LSD. There were plenty of chemicals out there that made the mind do crazy things.
“Hurry, get away,” Eithne said, shoving at their shoulders. “This building is going to explode, and while the beast will survive the flames, you will not, Clara.”
Clara stood her ground. Whatever was going on, she still didn’t want to let Declan into a car with these people. “Why do you care? You just threatened to kill me,” Clara said.
A sinister smile turned Eithne’s lips up at the corner. “Because now I know I can use your safety to control the beast.”
The heat of the flames singed their hair, and Declan’s hand, now fully human, grabbed hers. “We should go.”
Now in danger of getting burned, Clara ran, holding tight to Declan, getting away from the building which began to creak before finally collapsing inward.
Before Clara could get Declan away from the waiting SUV, pain wrapped around her wrists, heavy, like invisible chains.
“Get into the car,” one of the women said. “Or I’ll put a chain around your neck too.”
Declan’s voice was small. “She will. Let’s get in.”
Roisin got in the driver’s seat and Eithne got in the passenger seat. “I’m enchanting the car. So no more tricks.”
As they left the airport, Clara saw a sign that read Shannon International Airport. She didn’t know much about Irish geography, but Kellan had shown her on a map where his home was, and that was where they were – County Clare, Ireland. Which meant that Kellan’s home, the Cliffs of Moher were close by.
Was that where they were taking them?
Clara looked at Declan. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad?”
“That I’m a dragon. And I didn’t tell you.”
It was really odd that Declan’s hallucination was the same one that she’d had. Generally, the brain didn’t work like that. Maybe the women had brainwashed them or hypnotized them while they were asleep on the plane, creating the idea for both of them that Declan was a dragon.
She’d worked with kids long enough that she wasn’t going to dismiss what he said.
“Of course I’m not mad, sweetie.” Clara didn’t trust the women not to try to crash the car, so she didn’t unbuckle her seatbelt, but she scooted as close to Declan as she could. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and even if you had, I wouldn't be mad.”
His jaw jutted out, and he looked just like his father for a second. “It’s definitely not wrong to be a dragon?”
“No. It’s not. And you were very brave, trying to defend me. But next time, let me talk to the women. It’s my job as an adult, and your nanny, to protect you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
His eyes flashed, and just for a second, they looked yellow again. “I can protect you,” he insisted.
Clara leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “I know you can, but let me handle them. We have to be very careful. They’re dangerous.”
“I know they are.” His right hand squeezed the door handle until it made a cracking sound. They’re bad.”
Clara snaked her arm around Declan’s back. Thankfully, he let go of the door handle, and Clara held on tight to him as they drove.
They drove for an hour or so, passing through green meadows and quaint villages with white houses and walls made of stone.
It would have been delightful for Clara, had her body not been paralyzed with fear for what would happen to Declan. Her mouth was dry, her eyes stung, and her stomach was a swirling knot. She’d never been this afraid, not even when her ex had threatened her.
At the end of the hour of driving, the SUV rolled to a stop. Once outside the window, Clara could see the cliffs in the distance, and the rolling sea beyond it.
Eithne cracked the door open. She pointed her spindly finger at Declan. “One wrong move, and I’ll throw your nanny over the cliff.”
“I could catch her,” he said.
“I don’t recommend trying it. You will regret it.” Eithne opened the door fully, and led them out of the SUV. They followed her down a winding grass path to a spot where the ground sloped down. Against the solid wall of rock, there was an opening.
Eithne tapped the side of the wall. “Inside the cave, and stay there.”
Eithne did not come inside with them. With one arm wrapped tight around Declan, Clara walked into the dark cave. The air was much chillier and she couldn't see at all, but Declan walked in without hesitation.
“I can see in the dark,” he said.
After a few minutes, Clara’s eyes began to adjust and with the help of the light filtering in, she could see the shape of him. She had a feeling they were being stashed here until Kellan could arrive.
Declan didn’t seem nearly as upset as she’d have expected him to be, but sometimes it took people a while to react to trauma.
She’d been through plenty of drills with her Kindergarten students, and once they’d been assured that the adults had a plan, they enjoyed distractions, and Declan, bless him, had far more energy than most.
“Would you like to play a game? Maybe charades?” Clara asked.
“Yes!” Declan shouted. He jumped up and down a few times. “I’ll go first.” He began to hiss, and then a low roar rumbled from his chest. He flapped his arms up and down a few times, slowly like a bird of prey. “What am I?”
She had a feeling she knew where this was going. “An eagle?”
“No!” He wiggled around a few more times.
“A hawk?”
“Nope!”
“Let me try one more time,” Clara said. “A dragon?”
“Yes!” Declan pumped his fist a few times. “You got it right.” He stilled, not moving. “I really am a dragon, Miss Clara. I’ll show you again.” Before she could stop him, he shed his pants and shirt. And then his eyes glowed bright yellow, illuminating his face, and the wings appeared again, as well as a powerful tail.
He opened his mouth and fire spewed out, away from her. But the flames were bright, and she could see the rippling greenish-silver scales that now covered his body. Another minute or so went by, and Declan was no longer a little boy.
He was a dragon.
With one powerful beat of his wings, he lifted up off the floor off the cave and hovered in the air.
Clara felt her mouth drop open. This was no hallucination. If this was real, then that meant Eithne and Roisin were not just crazed women, but they were truly witches.
> And the little boy she loved, as much as she’d love her own child, was a dragon.
Which meant his father, who she was in love with, was a dragon too.
Clara had broken up with Kellan, for reasons that didn’t even seem to matter now. And because she’d wasted their precious time together, she might never get the chance to tell him she loved him.
After a few more flaps of his wings, Declan dropped to the floor of the cave. He changed back into the little boy she knew.
“Don’t be sad, Miss Clara. We can escape. Or we can fight them. Their magic doesn’t work on me.”
“What if I’m holding onto you?” she asked. “Will it work then?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Wait. Can they hurt you?” She wasn’t willing to take that chance.
“Nope. Not really. Well. They did kill my grandparents, but it took a whole bunch of them.” He held his arms wide to demonstrate.
That didn’t comfort Clara, but she knew they couldn’t wait around to be tormented by the witches any longer.
“Okay. You know more about this than I do. But I have a few ideas. So let’s make a plan.”
17
Kellan
“Yes,” Kellan said. “I’ll accept your terms.” He’d do whatever they wanted until he could get Declan and Clara back. He’d figure the rest out after that.
“You’ll accept our terms completely? With no reservations?”
“Yes.”
“I wish I could believe you, but your bloodline has already proved treacherous. I do not find you or your kind trustworthy. So I will keep your son and your nanny as my own, until you have proved to me that you will honor our ancient pact.”
He should have anticipated something like this. “What do I need to do to prove myself?”
Niamh shook her head. “Oh, lad. It is not one single act. It will take you weeks, maybe months to prove yourself to us.”
Billionaire Dragon's Nanny (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 1) Page 8