by C J Matthew
“Nope.”
“Guess if you’re the Chief you can talk to eagles,” Devlin said.
“Noblesse oblige?” Murdoch shrugged.
“What’s that?” Annalisa asked in a real whisper.
Murdoch leaned closer to his mate and said, “Duties of the nobility.”
“I thanked Eagan,” Murphy said, “and sent him to call off the other searches.”
Beside her, Liam’s fists tightened. Heather watched the dynamics between the Sea Dragon shifters. These guys could use lessons on how to work together. Or maybe not. Were their dragon territorial natures too strong to allow much cooperation?
“Liam, you’d better go get them,” Murdoch suggested. “The boys know you, right?”
“Not to ride on me underwater that far.”
“You know,” Murphy said. “I’d love to just sink the Hunter’s boat. Then the boys could ride back on the surface.”
Chapter 18
Heather
Heather had to restrain herself. She was simply dying to give Liam’s clan chieftain a gigantic eye roll. A brute force response was the only solution the leader could come up with?
“May I say something?” Heather asked.
“Sure,” Devlin said.
“Certainly,” Murphy added.
“The riskiest approach, considering the boys’ position, would be an attack on a boat full of Hunters. Those men appear to be well armed. Perhaps stealth is the safest bet. You Sea Dragons are masters at stealth. Swim up under the boat, once the boys are secure, take them far enough beneath the surface that you can’t be seen, then make your way to the Barrier. From there on in, you could swim on the surface.”
Portia nudged Devlin. “Sounds like just our style. Let’s volunteer to get one boy.”
Heather turned to them. “You’ve done something similar?”
“Sort of. The point is, stealth worked like a charm. How about we two go with you and Liam?”
“Great,” Heather and Liam said in unison. “Let’s get down to the beach,” Liam added.
As they took the ledge steps down the cliff, Devlin asked Liam, “How many times have you two tried this?”
“Counting today?”
“Oh shit. Well, the trickiest part will be keeping the kids calm.”
“The bigger child is Hank,” Heather explained. “The younger, smaller boy, is Paul. Let us go first. I’ll try to ease the way for you. You’re Portia?”
“Tell them it’s like the car.”
“Won’t work with these island kids.”
“Oh yeah.”
The climb onto Liam’s neck, positioning herself in the air flow and them easing into the ocean all went fine. Then Heather almost had a panic attack when Liam slowly dove deeper and with her legs straight back to stay in the heated air, she almost floated off his neck. He leveled off and she found a foothold which helped. She discovered a comforting glimmer of light above.
They slid beneath the boat and Sea Dragon Liam seemed to flatten himself out. When her head broke the surface, Liam’s Sea Dragon was almost still in the water. She got up to her knees and grabbed the side of the boat. The boys were cowering on the bottom, trying to hide.
“Paul? Hank? Shhh. Low voices. It’s me, Heather.”
“Help us.”
“Listen. If you were having fun in the ocean and could ride any creature, and he’d be friendly, and protect you, which one would it be?”
Both boys simply stared at her. Wrong approach? Or were they too terrified for this to work? “I know, an orca? Or how about a dolphin?”
Hank lifted his chin. “I’d want to conquer the ocean,” his voice grew stronger, “riding on a mighty Sea Dragon.”
“Guess what Hank, you can do that. I just happen to have a fierce but friendly sea dragon right here. He wants to give you a ride.”
“Is it Guardian Liam?”
“Nothing gets past you kid. We’re giving you a free ride back home.”
“We can’t. The Hunters will see us.”
“That’s why Liam and his cousin Devlin are letting you two have a special treat. Two official mates to ride on their backs with you. I’ll go with Paul on Liam. Portia will ride—”
“Por-sha? Like the car?” Paul demanded.
For Pete’s sake. “Yes, sir. Just like the car.”
As much as they adored Liam, both boys were terrified of going under water. The pleading and arguing dragged on. One bright spot. The boat was drifting, but closer to the barrier. While she was hanging on to the side, Liam slowly moved everyone closer to their destination.
She glanced over the edge of the boat. Their phenomenal luck avoiding boatloads of hunters wouldn’t hold.
“Take my hand,” Portia demanded from the opposite side of the boat. “Step aboard.”
“Hank, look. That’s Portia. Grab her hand and—”
Paul backed up. “I want to go with Portia.”
Hank pouted. “I’d rather go with Heather.”
“All right boys,” Portia barked, channeling a Marine DI. “Listen up. That was your final choice. Paul, get on my Sea Dragon, now. Hank, with Heather. That’s it. Let’s go. No more farting around.”
Both boys giggled like crazy. Portia rolled her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, Heather saw a boat full of Hunters headed straight for them.
“Try lying together. Good luck.” Portia stretched out on Devlin’s back, lying on her side, spooned with little Paul. Tilting his face into the air flow, she started singing to him as the water flooded over them.
Heather grabbed the squirming Hank and hugged him tight. Liam dove deep. Hank continued to fight her. Wet strands of her hair dried in the air current and whipped around them. Fascinated, Hank tightened his grip on her arm holding him. With his other hand he played with her hair. She kept up a steady flow of silly remarks and Hank relaxed even more.
Finally, Liam rose to the surface and Hank struggled to get up.
“Not yet.” She glanced over to see Portia and Paul sitting on Devlin’s neck, waving. The sea Dragon’s head was high out of the water as he nodded to the crowd on shore. The audience clapped and cheered louder.
She and Hank sat up as well. They all waved. Paul shouted to Hank, “They wish they were us.”
Liam raised his head and neck until only her feet touched the water. Then Devlin spit a trail of salt water at them, and Liam spit back.
“Ewww,” Portia shouted, “Stop that.” She swatted Devlin’s neck.
As if on cue, the two cousins filled their mouths with water and swam along the shore spraying the spectators.
“Heaven help us,” Heather groaned.
Chapter 19
Liam
Before the late lunch festivities of April 30th, Eve of Bealtaine, began, Liam called a last-minute meeting of his Bealtaine coordinators, two assistants, the Willow Druids, and his mate.
“This looks to be the best Bealtaine celebration ever,” one of the Willow assistants said. Liam threw his hands up. “If you can say the same tomorrow night when it‘s all over, I’ll gladly accept your congratulations. Let’s have a few words and we’ll wrap up with your reports.”
Liam gave his mate a wink from across the table. “Change of plan.”
Everyone in the room, the grove house kitchen, groaned.
“I swear, it’s the very last change. For this year. As most of you know, our Rudraige chieftain is here—” he paused for that clapping— “who you all know as another Willow Guardian…” more applause. “Murphy will have the honor of proposing the first toast at dinner. And later he’ll begin extinguishing the fires. From there our respected Druids will take charge. Our Chieftain and those of the clan who came here with him, will join the rest of Draíochtia, waiting all night on Bealtaine Hill for sunrise. Adult beverages will be provided for our official start of summer.
“When the Druids officially declare sunrise, they’ll perform the ritual starting of the fires.”
He checked with his firewood c
oordinator. “We have enough bundles of the nine sacred woods for everyone to take home?”
“The Goddess knows we’ve counted them enough times.”
“Great. And the maypoles?”
“Several more than in years past and all ready.”
“Wonderful. Oh, and the small fires so everyone who wishes to can jump over one?”
A coordinator’s helper bowed from his chair. “All laid and ready to light, yer honor.”
One of the druids added, “Many of our people believe it’s the chance for personal purification of their spirits.”
“That’s all I have. Everyone has worked hard. And I thank you.”
“Before you go,” Andraste said, rising gracefully from her chair. “We have chosen the Queen of the May. As you all know, this is a great honor because the woman selected represents the goddess during the celebrations. This year we will crown Annalisa of the Rudraige clan.”
He smiled but darted a quick look at Heather. She was clapping, grinning, and bouncing with excitement. Maybe he was the only one who thought she’d be this year’s queen?
Hours later, Liam flopped down beside his mate on the cluster of blankets. They faced the Bealtaine circle, set on the highest piece of ground within the Willow area and clearly outlined by standing stones. Heather had chosen the ideal spot at the circle and reserved adjacent plots by spreading out blankets. Their guests were beginning to arrive for the extinguishing of the Willow fires. He was tired already.
He had to admire her stamina as she leaped to her feet every time a new arrival approached the edge of the blanket.
One village woman, Marta? Leaned over and asked, “Is your new project for the festival all finished? Will you be surprising Guardian Liam?”
A surprise?
Just before the fires were due to be extinguished, Heather rose and directed the placement of dozens of baskets around their blanket and more clustered in groups nearby. What was she up to?
“Need any help?” he asked.
“I think we’re ready.”
She spoke softly but everyone else must already know about the surprise because the hundred or more people around the circle went silent.
Heather told the legend of how the universe and all of mankind was hatched from two scarlet eggs hidden within the willow tree.
At that point in the story she drew two elaborately painted eggs out of her basket and held them up.
“One egg formed the sun and the other egg became the Earth.” she said.
Someone shouted, “Those look a lot like dragon eggs.”
“Perhaps,” Marta called out, “one is a dragon egg and the other is the egg of a sea serpent.”
The crowd responded with, “Ooooh.”
Heather raised her voice slightly. “On the festival of Bealtaine, we retell the story of the creation and re-enact the creation miracle with painted eggs, for everyone.”
He sat up. Heather made a sweeping gesture that included every one of her baskets. Several blankets away a man flipped a basket lid and whistled.
Someone across the circle shouted, “You made all of these?”
The villagers, guests, everyone was passing around beautifully painted chicken and duck and goose eggs.
Andraste answered the most recent question. “The lady wicca painted every egg with her own hand.”
The whispers grew. “New mate.” “How did she find the time?” “Guardian, you need to keep your woman busier.”
“Look at the details. We know she’s happy.”
“When will we be celebrating a handfasting?”
“Enough,” the male Druid announced. “Guardian Murphy, we’ll extinguish the fires now.”
Just after 2 a.m. Liam rolled onto his back and stared up at the huge willow tree above them. “I love you, Treasure. You blow me away with this wicca stuff and how you instantly fit right in here.”
His mate moaned. “Are we ever going to sleep again?”
He patted Heather’s naked butt. “We have all summer to sleep. You don’t want to waste a minute of Bealtaine sleeping.” His hand slid across her butt cheek to her inner thigh.
This moan from her was different. More erotic. “Okay, I’m up.”
“What a coincidence. So am I.”
Sometime after 4 a.m., Liam snuck himself and his mate back to their blankets at the Bealtaine circle. They’d made love several times, under the protection of the Willows, and he was bleary-eyed, half-drunk, and ready to…oh, crap… get up and play host again in only two hours?
He decided to doze and enjoy the symphony of snoring.
As the sun peeked over the horizon and touched the sacred stone, Chieftain Murphy made a nice, short speech. When all the fires were rekindled, Liam and Heather jumped over a small one, which symbolized the regeneration of their spiritual vitality.
He nuzzled his mate under her ear, and she pinched his arm.
“Not that vitality, perv. I thought you were sooo tired.”
The bonfires consisted of nine sacred woods and during the day, villagers would take a bundle of wood home to relight their hearth fires.
His visiting clan left the next morning for Dublin, and a ride home in Murphy’s Gulfstream. He promptly convinced Treasure to go straight back to bed. Turned out their version of morning after the night before sex was almost as exciting as the wild and crazy kind.
At one point, they fell off the bed—he managed to take the brunt of the fall—and decided to stay there. He tugged down pillows, shook out sheets to cover them, and they cuddled in each other’s arms.
“That girl-huddle—”
“Woman huddle.”
“That’s what I said, your woman-huddle. What were you cooking up?”
“We exchanged cell numbers and emails. Do you really have a secure room in your house?”
“Condo.”
“That’s what I said, a secure room in your condo?”
“What can I do to convince you that communicating with those women is a dangerous mistake?”
“Well, we all had a terrific time here on the Island that time forgot, and we’ll be back every year. But in six months, we’d like to take a clan vacation, all together, but go someplace with butlers, a world-class spa, and five-star room service.”
“Murphy’s mansion.”
“Are you serious?”
“Let’s go see.”
Chapter 20
Heather
Heather was confused. She’d been off kilter, out of step, since they’d returned to Dublin from Draíochtia. Liam seemed happy yet surprised when she’d agreed to stay at his condo instead of returning to her hotel.
“I’ll bet that bill’s a whopper,” she’d said
When she checked with Wells and Hancock all of her company sponsored amenities had been put on hold. The long-term hotel room, car lease, even her cell phone, were all suspended, pending her return.
“Your phone?” Liam groused. “What if you needed it to make an emergency call for help? Cheap bastards.”
“It worked out all right.”
“Did you resign?”
“Not until you and I have a talk about the future.”
“Right now. Now is good for me. Are you ready to talk?”
She sat on the couch, tucking her legs under her. “Could I please have a beer?”
“Great idea.” He hurried back into the living room with two cold bottles of beer, handed one to her and standing in front of the couch, drank down half of his.
“You and I have joked around a lot,” he said. “I want to make sure you know how serious I am about us, the two us, together.”
“Liam, please sit down.” She patted the cushion next to her. When he sat, she took his beer, and set it on the coffee table. Him acting so nervous was making her nervous. The man needed to burn off some of those jitters. Winding her arms around his neck she began nibbling and nipping at his mouth. A game they’d never played before.
Judging by the way he grabbed her arms, shov
ed her down and climbed on top of her? He liked a little biting.
She tugged his t-shirt over his head and tossed it across the room. He literally ripped her blouse apart, buttons flying. All right. They were naked in no time.
Nipping at the sea dragon tattoo on his pec, she stroked her hands along his chest and abs. When she scraped her teeth along the tattooed dragon’s jaw, Liam went wild.
He lifted her hips, shoved her thighs apart, and plunged his erect cock deep inside. She loved it. While he pounded into her, she egged him on, licking, sucking and scraping her teeth all over the tattoo. And in moments, she shook and pulsed and screamed his name through the longest orgasm of her life.
He collapsed on top of her and she had a clear view of the tattoo.
She hadn’t broken the skin, but she had left little tooth impressions. And he’d have one hell of a hickey.
When they could breathe again, he brought two terry bathrobes and more beer. They sat at opposite ends of the couch.
“I want to ask a question about mates,” she began.
“Shoot.”
“What happens if one mate feels the bond and the other one doesn’t?”
“And leaves?”
“Yes. Then what?”
“I guess the mated one could go on living…”
Her heart stopped beating. She stared at him. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“Please tell me you aren’t asking that question for a particular reason.” Liam was holding his breath.
“No.” She swatted his knee. “No, no particular reason. Okay, I’m beginning to see what you mean.” She eyed the living room clock. “Sixty minutes. Starting now, in addition to brutal honesty of the pinky swear, I declare no teasing. Straightforward questions and more straightforward answers.”
“Agreed.”
“Pointer-swear.” She extended her index finger and they shook.
“I love you, Heather. I’m in love with you.”
“Same here. Whichever is more. I’m in love with you and I’ve never felt this way about anyone else before and I want us to stay together always.”