by L M Lacee
“Auntie Harper…Auntie Harper, Grandma brought me to say hello.” Called Kelsey as she and Verity walked in. Following slowly behind was Edith. For some unknown reason Edith looked uncomfortable, an unusual occurrence Harper thought, and the looks she was giving Verity as she walked around the barn had Harper guessing why.
Kelsey was showing Verity things she knew the names too as Harper replaced her tools in the order she liked. Someone or many someone’s with sticky fingers had been touching her tools when she was indisposed or just hanging with Ace. Her money was on Sage and Frankie. “So what can I do for you Ladies?” Harper asked.
“I have been to the gallery again and seen your pieces.” Verity told her with a smile.
Harper smiled pleased. “Thank you, did you like them?”
“Most of it I adored.” Verity told her. Harper raised her eyebrows at Edith. “I see… most of it?”
“Yes but what I did not like is for another time and not the reason for my visit today.”
“It is not?”
“No.”
“So what is the reason for your visit Lady Verity, you know you do not need a reason to visit me here.”
“Thank you for that Harper and I want two portraits done.”
“Huh! Well never saw that coming.”
“Yes!” Verity walked around knowing Edith had said not to ask Harper but truly this child was talented and she was family. In another time in history she would have been considered a master. If masters were allowed to be female of course. Her dragon reminded her.
Verity agreed. Well that is true.
She asked Harper. “Do you do portraits?”
Harper ducked her head to stop the smile showing.
“Sometimes. Who would the commission be for?”
“Me, I require Rene` and Reighn as Dragon Lords, past and present to be immortalized!”
“Ahh! Okay. So you want to commission me?”
“Yes why? What is wrong with that? It is done all the time. What is your problem Edee? She is an artist. She paints. I want the portraits done.”
Edith vacillated between amusement and embarrassment at what Verity asked Harper to do. Edith considered Harper one of the all-time great artist of this century. She said. “Verity someone of Harper’s skill and tal…”
“So how much you offering?” Harper asked cutting Edith off and causing her to stutter.
“Wh…wh… what?”
“Well?” Harper asked Verity. “I need to know I am not cheap you know?”
“What is your normal rate?” Verity asked crossing her hands over each other in what she considered the haggling position of a matron when buying fruit. Not that she had ever brought fruit but the principle was the same. Harper leaned back in her haggling position which consisted of leaning against her workbench next to a sitting Kelsey. “Well it has been a while.”
Meaning never, she had never accepted a commission for a portrait. The ones she had done were of friends or people she admired. “And you are asking for two. That puts the price up a lot. Right Kelsey?”
“Yep Granma, we are not cheap yah know?” Harper high fived the five year old.
“Oh I know!” Said an amused Verity. Kelsey folded her arms much as her aunt had done and lent back against the block of wood that was sitting on the work bench. Edith sat on the bench opposite them. “Do you have an agent Harper?”
She asked as Harper scratched at a bit of dust on her cheek. Kelsey followed suit and she frowned as Harper did. With amusement coloring her words Harper said. “Well no but I am sure I can get one. What do you think Kelsey.”
“It’s Granma Verity.”
“Well I know.”
“You should do a drawing of Granma. She is pretty.”
Harper nodded. “That is true.” She looked at Verity as she told her. “So the deal is you convince Ace to take on the job as Commander for the cadets and you sit for a portrait as well as convince Grace to sit for me and let Edith show them for a year.
Sound good?” She asked Kelsey.
Kelsey thought for a minute then said. “You forgot cookies and Frankie.”
“Oh yeah of course. You have to swear to tell Frankie you made me do them and Kelsey and I want cookies for morning tea when the kids are all here for art classes.”
Edith was smiling with her head bent so Kelsey could not see her. Verity drew herself up to her full height and said. “Is that your final word on it?”
Kelsey looked at Harper who nodded. The little girl said. “It is the best offer Granma. I would take it.”
“I do not know, that sounds like an awful lot?” replied Verity.
Exasperated Kelsey told her. “Granma it’s cookies!”
“Well alright. I give in, it was a hard bargain. Miss Kingsley.”
Kelsey smiled fill of pride as she jumped down and ran to Storm when he entered telling him all about her bargaining. Verity said “Are you sure Harper?”
“Oh yes, Ace really wants to do that job he just thinks he won’t be any good at it.”
“No dear about my portrait?”
“No portrait. No deal!” Stated Harper.
Edith said. “And you have to promise to let me show it in my gallery, there will be no chickening out.”
“Oh…Oh really!” Verity gave her hair a pat. “Well I suppose so. I will have to decide what to wear and then there is talking Grace into it as well. We may have to buy something new.” She muttered to herself as she walked out followed by Storm and Kelsey who waved good bye. “You made her happy.” Edith told her.
Harper grinned. “I live to do that!”
“Oh shut up. So sticking around?”
“Four portraits commissioned, a shadow and teenage girl who is going to shift any day and a friend who is with cub or egg what do you think?”
Edith sat completely still. “Sharm is going to shit.
How do you know? I just found out this morning.”
“Seeker. Remember?” Harper grinned at Edith’s surprised expression. “Oh I forgot, we are announcing it this Sunday, family day.”
Harper was going to tell her that hiding secrets amongst shifters and dragons was impossible but the happy excited look on her face made her say instead. “Well congrats ahead of time. I will say nothing. Now do you think June will be up to coming?”
Edith nodded. “Sharm says she and the babies will be good to go. Fin on the other hand, that is debatable.” They laughed thinking of the dragon who had his life turned upside down. “You happy about the… you know what?” Harper asked as she made round gestures over her stomach indicating being pregnant.
Edith smiled and her whole body shone. “You know, I thought I wouldn’t be but I am. I really am.”
Harper smiled and hugged her. “I am really happy for you Edee if anyone deserves late night feeds, dirty diapers and crying. It is you!” Edith growled as Harper released her before she could swing at her and ran. Edith laughingly yelled as she jumped down. “Hey girl if it can happen to me. What chance do you have faerie?”
“Friggin hell!”
EPILOGUE:
Sunday morning found Ace standing on the balcony drinking his first cup of coffee for the day. Harper walked out and slipped her arms around him. “What are you staring at?”
He motioned down below to Joy and Axl standing close together. Axl wore his swords and had a bag slung over his shoulder. Reighn stood by an opened portal. “Oh…Oh, so he is leaving then?”
Ace sighed. “Yeah he got into a fight last night.”
“So you guys fight all the time, it means nothing.”“He was drunk on unicorn ale. He lost his shit. Or so Storm told me.”
“Oh well yeah that is not good. Storm doesn’t suffer that kind of behavior.”
“Reighn is worried. Axl’s dragon will find everyone a threat. Me, Clint, any male she is around and she is ready to shift June said. Which for his dragon will signal maturity. He will know she is too young but her wolf will demand she take him as mate and he w
ill deny her because again she is too young and she will pine.”
Harper asked. “What? And she won’t now, with him gone?”
He nodded as he sipped his coffee. “She will but it will be a small ache so the matrons tell me. It will be much worse for her, for him and Dragon’s Gap if he remains.”
“So he will leave.” She asked sadness a catch in her throat for Axl, for Joy and for her Ace who would miss him. “He knows, he agrees.” Ace said.
“For how long?” Harper asked sadly already missing the funny male. She loved watching movies with him, he was hysterically funny pointing out all the mistakes.
“He will do a year at a time, we can go visit him.” He told her.
“But not Joy?”
“No not Joy.”
“She will miss him. We will.”
“I know but it is for the best. She knows that, she is very mature for a thirteen year old.” Ace muttered.
Harper looked down at the couple and said. “We grow up fast, when we have too.”
He turned with her in his arms just as Axl walked into the portal and Joy fell into Reighn’s arms.
“I love you my ghost.”
“I love you too my dragon.”
So ends Ace’s and Harpers story.
Love’s Impulse
Fin and June’s Story
Authors note:
This Novella is written to coincide with Ace and Harper’s story.
CHAPTER ONE:
J une sat in her office and looked around blankly at the walls. She felt like she was living in a surreal nightmare. She did not see the photos on the wall of all her nieces and nephews or the family photos of which there were many.
Her attention was taken by the painting of a lone wolf climbing a snow-covered mountain. The wolf’s head hung low searching for something amidst the snow or maybe it was just exhausted. June would admit she spent time each day wondering which scenario it was and if there were clues within the painting to tell her. She knew she could ask Harper but worried she would say it was just a wolf climbing a mountain in the snow. And, that did not work for her, she needed it to be more. Harper had given her the painting when she admired it. She was forced to wrestle it from Edith who was positive every piece of art Harper produced was hers. In the past or the present or even the future, it all belonged to her gallery. June took great pleasure in making sure Edith knew she was in possession of several pieces Harper gifted her.
In truth she saw herself as the wolf in the painting it was she that was searching for the love she so desperately wanted. She knew if she could shift to her wolf she would look like that lone wolf pining for her mate.
She placed her head in her hands and pulled on the hair at her temples. Again she asked herself, how was it possible that her mate could just turn up out of the blue and be Ella’s uncle, a damn dragon! Finlay Slorah a male that took her breath away from the first time her wolf scented him. She knew he was her mate, was she surprised that he was a dragon? Not really all her friends were mated to dragons. What did surprise her was the male refused to bond with her. He had some weird notion that she needed security as if bonding with a dragon wasn’t security enough.
Sadly, for June, before she came here having someone have your back only occurred because they were ordered to, or she paid dearly for them. Never because they felt you were worthy enough to warrant it. Since arriving at Dragon’s Gap she had made friends, true friends who became family. They were people she trusted to have her back so she had more security than she needed.
The other notion he had was that he was to provide a place for them to live. When that was just so not true, as she had told him. Sage had told him the same thing. Reighn told him that his father, and Uncle Andre` gifted June a property not long after she arrived there. As far as June was concerned there was no reason they could not live in the house and property she owned.
“Oh!” She groaned and laid her head on her arms as she remembered his other issue, the money. She had a nice tidy bank account, he was immensely wealthy as most dragons were. Was she concerned about that? Nope! She did not care, she was house and land rich. He was cash rich cash, seemed fair to her. But not to dragon Finlay Slorah oh no...He just negated her home and would not listen when she tried to tell him she was very happy with her home. She had invited him numerous times to visit the homestead she lovingly restored. So far, he had declined every offer.
June sighed she would never admit this to him or anyone but she and her wolf felt rejected with his attitude. June spent weeks finding and furnishing her home, ready for when she would live there. For some reason he could not get that! There was also the little matter of the major hurdle. Employment! He needed to work. She understood that but he was working! Unfortunately, he wanted to make sure the job was a good fit for him.
Apparently almost three months was not long enough to know, even though he really enjoyed every aspect of his job and was not looking for anything else. He told her a job made him more worthy and that was important. How did one fight that, a male’s honor was not to be belittled or so Sage and Claire told her and she felt that, she really did, except it was just so not fair. She wanted a home, cubs at some time. She wanted her mate damn it! Her wolf was feeling rejected and sadly June was starting to agree with her, their dragon was just not into her!
The male was everything she wanted, well... hell, she nodded to herself. He was what any female would want. Tall, buff, OMG! Was the male buff, and he packed serious hardware. June felt herself go warm remembering his hard flat stomach and eight pack that was just such a turn on. Well, it turned her on!
Sighing she stared blankly at the small statue of a female standing with a wolf her hand on its head both of them looking into the distance. Harper gave her the statue only two days ago. She smiled as she remembered her sneaking it in her bag so Edith would not see it and glare at them both. June promised to not say anything to Edith. She did not have the heart to tell Harper, Edith would see it the first time she entered her office. She was like a heat seeking missile when it came to art.
June pouted it was exquisite just like Fin. He was just so handsome, but she wasn’t the only one to think so, she had heard there were a few females who thought the same. June was going to have to steer them away from her man but did he see that they were sniffing around him. Nope!
Her mate was an oblivious male for a hard as nails warrior who was not a babe in the woods. She was honest enough to admit that fact did please her. She did not want any young male who was still out to impress and did not know his own mind. But seriously Fin was as stubborn as the day was long. He annoyed her to her last nerve. June would agree that some days she was more a wolf than human and she did take on her wolf’s thoughts about her mate.
Even if she could not shift they conversed maybe not in words but their conversation in emotions was very clear. Her wolf was pining for her mate, she did not understand human relationship issues. She just wanted her mate. June understood that too. Which is why finally last night she had given into her wolf’s demands and asked Fin when they were going to make this mating happen?
He had kissed her and told her he was working on it. Like that meant anything, it was the same answer he had said over the last month. When he first said it to her, she laughed. She did not laugh so much last night. His evasiveness made her see red so instead of taking the soft approach, June in fact lost her temper. Telling him to get his act together, and until he did she would refuse to see him. She had stormed from his apartment. Her last look of him had been him standing in the middle of his lounge with his mouth open in shock. Her anger carried her, all the way to her apartment and through a bath and two glasses of wine.
When she finally calmed down enough to think, she did feel bad about issuing him an ultimatum. Which was not helped by her wolf fretting over her demands well into the morning hours. Consequentially when she rolled out of bed this morning, she was still tired and hovering close to the days when she used to make decisions s
he regretted later.
And to make the day just that much more perfect! It was family Sunday, so when she finally arrived for breakfast dreading having to see Fin after the night before. She heard not from him, but his niece, her friend Ella. Fin had left Dragon’s Gap to see some friends he used to work with, it seems Fin had known days ago he would have to leave. He told Ella and Verity he would not be home for Sunday family day but he did not once mention it to June. She was devastated what more proof did she need the male did not want her?
Glumly June sat now in her office. Having to remain cheerful in front of her family was tiring. She just needed time to collect herself, think clearly before Sunday dinner. Depression swamped her, because with Fin going away and not telling her this was a big indicator something was wrong and she could only come to the conclusion it was her.
Fin had days to tell her he was going away or to ask her to accompany him. Was he ashamed of her because she was not a dragon? He never acted like he was, but truth was in the pudding. So Grace would say. Whatever that meant?
Sadly this weekend sort of said all there was to say about their relationship and June was tired of feeling like a puppet dancing to his tune. Time to woman up and do some thinking and to do that, she needed to get away from here. She knew Charlie was going to ask Harper to do another sensitive retrieval tonight but she also knew Reighn had told Sage to make sure Harper stayed home. So she would do the job if Charlie would let her. June sighed, it had been a while since she had been on the road. She drummed her fingers on the desk having second thoughts. Could she do this? Was she prepared to do this? Maybe she couldn’t?
No! She straightened her shoulders and flicked her hair behind her ears she could do this, she was a good retriever, she always brought her people home. She needed to do this, the time away that a retrieval would give her to think would be valuable. If she had to, she would beg Charlie to give her the job. If she needed too! With that decision made, June ran to her apartment which thankfully was on the first family floor of the castle.