Dragon's Gap: Set Includes Stories 4-5 Plus Love's Impulse

by L M Lacee

  He placed both names in the middle of the board. Then with arrows pointing out from those words he wrote events and time lines with the help from everyone that were there. June sat and watched the pattern emerge. Claire sat next to her. “Your Fin is very good at this!”

  June smiled. “It is his gift. It is what makes Fin, Fin.”

  “Harper honey are you okay?” Asked Claire of Harper who had not long come with Ace, they sat together opposite Claire and June. She had her head tipped to the side. “Yep sure am! What do you guys see when you look at the board?”

  “Excuse me?” June asked. Harper motioned to the board, by now everyone was looking between her and the board. “What I see is a concerted attack on the dragons.”

  “As do I!” Reighn agreed.

  “Do you see when it started?” She asked him. Fin stood back and surveyed his board studied the diagram on it, he placed his marker on the pivotal point. “Here when this happened!” Not one person disagreed.

  “When we arrived.” Sage stated for everyone.

  “Yes when the dragons opened their doors and minds to the fact shifters could save their race.” Grace agreed.

  “Who would do this? Fairies. Pixies. Dragons?” June asked.

  “All of the above.” Acknowledged Elijah. Ace shook his head, leaning forward his elbows on his thighs. “No another. If I am reading this right, we are being played like chess pieces.”

  “Are you saying the Elementals?” Charlie asked.

  “Or the Goddesses.” Olinda murmured.

  “Ladies please, both those are not possible!” Stated Rene’

  “Why? They both place us where they want us. Make things happen when they want. Look at Frankie and me or Olinda and her Goddess. Do not tell me we are not their toys.” Grumbled Harper.

  “Wow! Bitter much?” Charlie asked.

  “Seriously! Are you going to tell me it didn’t happen?”

  “Well okay sure it seems like that but really do you want to take on the Elementals and Goddesses after the week you just had?” Charlie asked with a smirk.

  “Point to you.” Harper said with a grin.

  Charlie said. “Also remember that the faerie suggested that there was a male behind her attacks. She implied that he was behind Storms poisoning.”

  “But can we trust anything she said or did not say?” Asked Scarlett.

  “And this is why we never see the whole!” Edith said from the doorway as she and Sharm, Keeper and Ella arrived. Keeper nodded and told them in his quiet way. “We worry about the parts.”

  “And look to who is to blame, not to why they are doing what they are doing.” Sharm said just as quietly. Storm asked. “Did we forget the unicorns on purpose or just because we forgot?”

  Olinda looked at him. “Never even entered my mind. What about you guys?” Everyone shook their heads as Sage groaned. “No, I will not entertain that idea. I like unicorns.”

  Olinda grinned as she said. “I like us too. Well, I like ours.”

  Charlie said. “Ours are faithful and loyal.”

  Storm said. “So a possibility then?”

  Ash agreed. “Definitely!”

  Olinda sighed. “I put nothing past that old coot!”

  “Coot?” Charlie asked with raised eyebrows.

  Olinda nodded. “You met him?” Charlie grimaced as though she had tasted something bad. “True!”

  Edith looked around. “Well if we do not figure this out, we are going to be in more trouble. We could get to the point where we do not trust each other.” She looked around at each of the people there her growing family and said. “I will not allow that to happen.”

  No one was left in any doubt as to her meaning. Reighn stood. “Edee is correct, this is not a way for us to counter this with suspicions and suppositions. That way lies distrust and fractures within our society, within our family. If I am correct, family, we are under attack. Our very way of life is being corrupted or at least they whoever they are, are trying to undermine what we are doing here. I for one will not allow it to continue. So let us all think about who this could be and why?”

  “I think the why is fairly obvious.” Elijah answered him. Claire agreed as she said. “To destabilize the coalition between dragons, shifters and faeries.”

  “Yes, someone wants to be the top dog. Some do not like the dragons being the Elemental's shield.” June stated. Reighn gave Ava to Ace as he moved to the board. “Yes, it seems that June is correct, although knowing is half the battle. Now we can guard against them. Fin I am asking you to take this over. I understand you are working at broadswords.”

  Fin shook his head. “My Lord this is far more important.” He looked at June and his daughters. “This affects us all.”

  Both Storm and Lars agreed, Lars saying. “Anybody got any ideas on who we can get to replace Fin. It will be a hard ask.”

  Ace said. “Maybe you could recall Hayden.” He saw the hopeful look on Clint’s face. “It could be the push master Patrycc needs to allow him to return home.”

  Reighn nodded. “Agreed Lars, Storm make it so. Fin what do you need?”

  “An office and my old team. This is what we were good at. I know my team members are not fitting into Dragon’s Gap as easily as I had hoped they would, maybe this will help.”

  “No one likes being cut loose and feeling useless.” Verity said, she had not said much until now. “Are there many others that need help adjusting?”

  “Not that I know of Lady Verity, and you are right we do not like feeling useless.” Fin agreed. He looked at Rene’ and Reighn. “We will need him. He has that ability to add two plus two and make five. I feel that this will be required. It is shaping up to be too many pieces of the same puzzle.”

  Rene’ sighed. “I will ask him, maybe we can convince him it is time to come home.”

  “Who are we talking about now?” Frankie asked of Harper. She looked at her friend and asked in return. “Why the hell would I know?”

  “Why the hell don’t you?” Frankie snarled back. Much to Harper’s amusement she opened her mouth to retaliate when Ace cut in before the fight grew legs and involved the whole family. Which had happened on more than one Sunday family day. “They are talking about Lord Andre`. Lord Rene`s brother.”

  “Ahh! The black sheep.” Frankie nodded, “Well okay.” All the dragons looked at her. Frankie looked back at them as she asked. “What? Say he is not?”

  “Well, he is sort of! We just don’t refer to him that way.” Johner told her trying to be diplomatic. Frankie grinned and asked. “Oh, are you scared of him?”

  “No! Well yes… maybe he was our trainer as well as our Uncle.” He told her. All the dragons looked at him with expressions ranging from amusement to smirks. He growled as he scowled at the males there. “As if you all are not ambivalent about him as well!”

  Sage grinning said. “We will still have to have everyone screened.”

  Rene’ looked at Reighn. “I do not like using my gifts for such invasive actions.” He held his hand up before Reighn or Sage could speak. “Although I understand the need. Send them to me.”

  Frankie asked Reighn. “Do you want Fin’s office close to yours my Lord?”

  “I do. Have him, and his team take over the four unused ones at the end of the hall.”

  “Certainly!” Frankie made a note in her tablet. June leaned over and whispered to her. Frankie nodded. “Good idea, never thought of that,” She asked her, “You want me to use the connecting room between the conference room and the offices?”

  “Yes, it will make a good lounge. It also has an exit to the outside patio which they can use as well.”

  Frankie was tapping on her tablet. “Okay, will do.”

  Not much more was able to be added after that in fact the mood plummeted to one of anger. Reighn let them all talk and get the feelings out, eventually bringing the impromptu meeting to a close as he said. “Okay people we are angry so let’s turn that into productivity. We will find who th
ese people are, and we will make it so they can never play this game again. Now let us leave, June and Harper look like they both need a good night sleep.”

  Everyone said their good nights after they had helped put the kitchen to rights. Fin and June saw them from the house. Finally, they were alone, Fin turned to June. “Go up, I will bring you a glass of wine. We will sit out on the balcony like an old married couple.”

  June hugged him. “What do you know of old married couples?” He kissed her cheek. “I read.”

  “Well, it sounds lovely.” She slipped her shoes off and ran up the stairs. Minutes later with the girls sound asleep in their bassinets. Just as Fin had said earlier they were now on the balcony and June was sipping on a glass of wine he had brought her.

  Fin leaned against the wooden balustrade as he sipped his whiskey and eyed June in her lovely cream colored dress that complimented her lovely hair. “So my shadow, how are you?”

  June grinned as she looked into her drink. “I am fine and you?”

  “Also fine, quite rested really.”

  “Well, that is good. I too find I am quite rested.”

  Fin grinned as he asked. “Not quite the pancake anymore?”

  “No definitely not.” He placed his drink on the table and then lent a hand on each arm of her chair caging her in. “What do I have to do to entice you into my arms and eventually our bed?”

  June looked up into his eyes and saw his dragon looking out at her. “You could promise me a flight sometime tomorrow?”

  “Done!”

  “Then you could kiss me…”

  He swooped in, and she was dragged into his arms. Her drink slid from her fingers as his lips found hers cutting off anything more she was going to say.

  June had been kissed before, many times, never had she been devoured with such finesse. Her heart beat a quick tempo within her chest causing her mind to blank completely, allowing her wolf to sing her happiness of having her mate with her. June’s fingers found and made short work of his shirt buttons. In seconds her hands found the warm skin of his broad chest, and a groan of pleasure escaped her throat. Fin pulled away as he looked down at his opened shirt, June blinked several times and looked at what her questing fingers had done. “Oh my!”

  He raised an eyebrow as he said. “Let us go inside, so I too can discover what is hidden under all that delightful material you are wearing.”

  She grinned, and he glimpsed her wolf in her happy eyes as she reached up and kissed him. He picked her up in arms of steel. His lips on hers and toed the balcony door closed behind them as he moved unerringly to their bed where they collapsed gently down to discover why bonding was so very important!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN:

  I n the two days since the revelation that there was a campaign to undermine the dragons and their alliances. Fin had established himself in his offices with his four dragon team. Hines Doyle, Karsen Bryne, Casin Kelly and Lock Walsh, his closest friends. They had been together for hundreds of years, there was not a one who had not saved or been saved by Fin or each other time and again. June had been introduced to each of them and had immediately made them Uncles to his daughters she had sealed their devotion to her and his hatchlings.

  The faerie guards Daru Senga and Mercca Ware who had been assigned to protect Prince Tarin, had petitioned to be assigned to Fin’s team representing the Faeries. He had spoken to both males and learnt they were very good at investigation work. In fact both males had done just that for the last hundred or so years at their home Grove. It was as a favor to King Elijah that they took on Prince Tarin’s protection.

  When Unicorn Jenny Sander had found out about the task force, how she did, was still unclear and a puzzle Fin decided he would look into later. She approached Olinda and asked her to intervene on her behalf she wanted to be part of the unit. Olinda had agreed especially when Jordan and Ethan Reading had also asked to be included. Olinda had requested for her Unicorns to be included in Fin’s task force he had agreed. So far no word had been received as to Rene`s brother Andre` about whether he was going to head up the unit. Or indeed if he was to return home.

  June sat in her office at home reading an official request Fin had just given her to attend a hearing on their validity of their claim to the twins. “This is not good.” She told him.

  “In one respect it is not, in another we knew it was coming so as it is here, the wondering and worrying will stop.”

  “You were worrying?”

  “Were you not?”

  “Well yes but you seemed so calm about it?”

  “I was not but thank you. It appears my mask of indifference is still in place.”

  June grinned. “You know I was mocking you. Right?”

  “Really! I had not noticed.” They smiled at each other than Fin inclined his head. “So we have until tomorrow to figure out what we should do.”

  June grimaced as she leaned back in her chair, throwing the papers onto her desk. “Like what, run?”

  Fin nodded he was deadly serious when he told her, meaning every word. “It is an option!”

  June shook her head, dismissing the idea, even though she knew they could leave and disappear and no one would find them. “No, that is not fair on our families or Ella and the girls, especially not on you my love, you have just found Ella. No, we will fight the best fight we can, then we will surrender the girls if needs must.”

  Fin stilled as his dragon looked out at their shadow, something was wrong, this was not his June. The June he knew who challenged males that used swords and guns against her to rescue her daughters would never think to give them up now.

  Speaking carefully he asked. “You would willingly give the girls up?”

  June’s heart broke, but she bravely raised her chin and stared him in the eyes. “For the girls, yes!”

  Fin stood and slowly walked around to her, she stood as well ready to fight or run her heart raced in anticipation. She thought she could hear her wolf howling but could not make out what she was saying. Fin reached out for her and said. “Well, I am sorry but no. I will never surrender our hatchlings.”

  June asked stiffly. “Do you think I want too?”

  Testing her, he said. “I think you are frightened of what you may do. So therefore, you will do nothing!”

  June’s chin notched up more and she snarled. “You are wrong?”

  “Am I? You will hand over our hatchlings, when they and their birth mother sung for you.”

  June sucked in her breath her eyes widened, her heart slowed its gallop as she whispered. “Oh my! I forgot. How did I forget that? It is so important!”

  Confused eyes stared up at him. “Why did I? Fin my head hurts, what is happening?”

  Fin took a hold of her hand. “Did you forget or was the memory taken from you? I suspect the headache will tell us.” He pulled her close to him as he made calls to Sharm and Rene’.

  June asked her words muffled against his chest. “You mean someone erased it from my memory?”

  “Yes little wolf.”

  “Who would or could do that?” She asked then she suddenly went cold all over. “Fin I can’t hear my wolf.”

  Tears entered her eyes. “They hobbled her. They made her silent. I have a mind shield. I practice all the time holding it in place.”

  He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “Not when you are poisoned my love.”

  “Bloody hell!”

  He was pleased to see anger spark as she growled. “Someone will pay for this!”

  “Yes little wolf they will.” Fin said as he heard the arrival of the dragons. Things moved rapidly within seconds of Sharm and Rene` arriving. Reighn flew in with Sage on his back. Panicked she flung herself into the house screaming for Fin or June. When she reached Fin he scooped her into his arms and cradled her sobbing against his chest saying. “Hush sweet Dragon Lady she is well, hush you will hurt your young. Calm!”

  Sage gulped in a breath as she tried to talk. “Ri…so…sor…worr…
”

  He nodded. “I know I really do.” Reighn arrived having been delayed by Claire and Lars and took his shadow from Fin and held her close. “My soul please calm now you will hurt yourself.”

  “I know …I know.” She buried her face into his neck and let the tears fall. “They hurt her again.” She mumbled.

  Fin agreed. “They did, Lord Rene and Sharm are looking at her now it seems when she was poisoned she was tampered with.”

  Sage raised her head from Reighn’s neck and growled. “Who… who did this?”

  Fin smiled. “I think it is time to talk to a certain Faerie Prince!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE:

  P rince Tarin sat at the table in the interrogation room and felt the sweat run down his back. Fin sat opposite him his merciless eyes boring into the brown eyes of the Prince.

  Tarin had been summoned from the Groves isolation room where his mother had placed him the day before. Guards put him in silver chains while his parents had stood by impassively with the Groves Queen Scarlett and King Elijah. He was then marched past them and from the Grove, in front of everyone. His humiliation did not stop there. Guards then paraded him past dragons who he was sure laughed at his discomfort finally bringing him into this room where he had been shackled to large bolts on the floor and table. Making sure he knew it was no use trying to escape the heavy chains which were be-spelled.

  It seemed the dragon lord had asked the elementals to place spells over chains and shackles for this exact purpose to make escape impossible. Then once he was placed in his chair and bound by the chains the dragon known as Finlay Slorah had entered and they had been sitting like this for ten minutes. Tarin knew because he was counting the minutes as the numbers on the wall clock flick over. Finally, he asked, “Why am I here?”

  “To answer some questions.” Fin answered his voice calm and bland. Tarin raised his hand as far as the chain would allow. “In chains like a common criminal?”

  Fin leaned back in his chair. “When one behaves or does criminal acts, then one should accept when caught, one will be in chains like any criminal.”