by Ellie Pond
Tad put her down on the exam table that the tall nurse pointed him to. Tad inclined his head down the hall. “They’re down there.”
“He’s going to freak a little.” Aurora wiggled her ankle and grimaced in pain. “Maybe we don’t have to tell him.”
Tad looked down at Aurora, who sat on the end of the table, her leg spread across it. “Which ‘him’ are you talking about?”
“Spencer?” Aurora said as a question. But Duncan’s name rolled around in her head. He might be more upset. But why?
“And why exactly did you take off frantically when I told you about Duncan?”
“I wasn’t frantic. And he’s my friend.” So what that her heart thumped in her throat and her hands were sweaty? And the thing that mattered was getting to him as quickly as possible, even though she didn’t know where she was going?
Tad stared at her with his ocean blue eyes. He didn’t blink.
“Maybe I was a little frantic. But I’m always like that. You know, clumsy.”
“No, you’re not.”
Aurora shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s not tell either of them.”
“Listen, Lucy, I am not going to be part of any crazy plans. They’re going to find out, and I am not going to hide whatever you’ve done to yourself. And you’re not going to be able to hide it, anyway.” His hand swirled above her legs.
“Lucy?” she asked.
“Yes—a little redder next time and you could be Lucy.” He tugged on her braid.
Aurora pursed her lips and stuck out her tongue. Her hair was a natural brown auburn, but the highlights she put in herself this time had come out red. And Lucille Ball was cool. “You can be my Ethel.”
“The real question here is, who is your Ricky?”
She glanced away from Tad’s question.
The ache in Aurora’s ankle began to shift to a throb. She didn’t want to think about it, about the pact or whatever was going on with Duncan. She glanced back at Tad and stuck her tongue out at him again.
The curtain at the door moved, and an attractive woman in scrubs stood next to Tad.
“Wait, let me get my tongue depressor and light.” The doctor stood in the doorway and smiled at Aurora, her messy bun on the edge of no longer being a bun. Aurora held on tight to Tad’s hand. He squeezed back. Tad faced Aurora with his back to the door. Aurora saw it hit him before Tad knew what was going on, but Aurora knew, even with the throbbing of her leg. Tad’s eyes dilated, and he took a deep breath. It happened in an instant, but as it unfolded in front of her in slow motion, she glanced between the two of them. Coral and pink swirled around them.
Tad dropped Aurora’s hand and eased off of the exam table that he was half sitting on. He huffed. Or more of a chuff—something their wolves did. Aurora always took it as a kind of ‘oh shit.’
This wasn’t something Tad thought would happen. Was the real red-haired woman in front of them Tad’s mate? Did he know it? Aurora glanced between the doctor and Tad. Aurora wasn’t sure.
Tad reached out his hand to shake hers. “Doctor.” His voice was low.
Aurora could no longer think of her ankle. The ecstatic feeling in her took over. This felt important, big, but then neither of them reacted. Aurora glanced around the doctor, who Aurora guessed was human. And for some reason, Aurora had a knack for being able to pick out shifters from humans.
The doctor shook his hand with a quick motion and moved on to Aurora.
“Good afternoon. I’m Dr. Cottage.” She all but ignored Tad standing next to her.
“Aurora.” She glanced back to Tad, who rubbed his scruffy beard. He paused to smell his hand.
Tad’s eyes dilated more, and his face flashed with shock.
The doctor did her best to ignore him, but in that I-am-not-going-to-look-at-you way. Aurora didn’t care about her leg anymore; watching the two of them was more entertaining.
“Let’s see your leg. I heard you had quite the fall.”
“More like ride.” Aurora laughed and then winced as Dr. Cottage rotated her leg and touched her ankle delicately.
“How’s that feel?”
“Okay.” Aurora looked from Tad to the doctor. They still ignored each other. What the heck?
“Any pain?” Dr. Cottage glared at Tad, and he moved so she could get to the other side of the exam table.
“A little.”
Dr. Cottage examined her knee as Aurora answered a few other questions about her leg.
“How is Duncan doing?” Aurora asked while the doctor rubbed spots around her knee.
“You’re family?”
Aurora nodded.
“She is.” Tad’s voice came out lower than normal.
“He’s awake, and I believe a few of his brothers are in with him now. I am sure you can see him after you’re bandaged up. I’m thinking we should take an x-ray. Just to make sure there aren’t any broken bones. Your knee, we’ll have to follow up with.” Dr. Cottage examined her with care.
“Isn’t there a lot of bruising here next to her ankle?” Tad pointed to a dark area on the side of Aurora’s ankle, his normal smile missing.
“There’s some bruising but not more than expected for the trauma.”
“Do you think she should have an MRI?”
“No, I don’t, Mr. Larsen. I think we should wait.”
“What about a fracture?”
Aurora touched her leg. It didn’t feel broken like the time she broke her left leg at the Hidden Valley ski resort. She really shouldn’t do sports. Or walk down stairs.
Tad was the smartest person she knew. He worked a decade in a think tank in New York City before he came home to Pittsburgh. He had two PhDs, one of them in physiology. But he liked teaching younger kids. And the local high school needed English and science teachers, so he had started doing that a few years ago.
“That’s not the issue now. It’s a ligament in the knee we, I mean I, need to focus on.” Now Dr. Cottage stood on one side of Aurora and, on the other side of the exam table, Tad glared at her. Aurora felt her head spinning as the two of them bantered back and forth with increasing loudness.
“Mr. Larsen, are you a medical professional?”
“I am an EMT, Dr. Cottage, and I coach Kunyon ball at the high school I teach at. I’ve seen a lot of leg trauma injuries of human kids. And I think you are missing a fracture.”
“The name tag on my coat says Doctor Cottage.” She poked herself in the chest with such vigor she winced.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do WHAT, Mr. Larsen?”
“Hurt yourself, Dr. Cottage.”
The two of them were leaning over Aurora now. She wanted to hobble down the hall away from the two of them and also not leave because they were darn entertaining.
The door to the hallway opened. “Elizabeth, is everything okay?” Nurse Smithfield asked.
“Everything is fine,” Tad and Elizabeth replied.
“Well, it doesn’t sound fine, and Mrs. Rubin across the hall is concerned.” Nurse Smithfield had her hand on her hip and pointed at Tad and the doctor with her index finger. She took a sniff. “Huh, well, that should be interesting,” she muttered to herself, chuckling. “Nothing to worry about, Mrs. Rubin. The doctor just found someone she was hoping to never find, that’s all,” she yelled across the hall.
“Oh.” Nurse Smithfield confirmed Aurora’s suspicions. “That makes so much more sense. This isn’t about my leg at all.” Aurora pointed back and forth at Tad and Elizabeth. “You’re …”
“Strangers,” Elizabeth blurted out. “Have a good day, Miss Berry. I’ll send Nurse Smithfield in to take you down the hall for your x-ray.” With a swift pivot of her clogged feet, her loose-bunned head disappeared in the hallway.
Tad’s face flashed confused before returning to stoic.
Aurora went to open her mouth, but Tad pointed his finger at her. “Don’t. At least she’s going to get you an x-ray.”
“How can I not?”
“You
don’t, that’s how.”
“But …”
“Nothing.”
“She’s your …”
“A stranger, and that’s it.”
“That’s bull, and you know it.”
“That’s where I disagree with you.”
“But isn’t it interesting that you agree with her?”
“Infuriating,” Tad said under his breath.
“Why didn’t you tell her you have a doctorate in physiology? You led with EMT?”
“EMT is who I am—coach, teacher. If that’s not good enough, well … At least you’re getting the x-ray.”
Aurora rolled her eyes.
“Don’t do that.”
“If you can do it, I can too.” Good lord. Tad had a mate and he was over—well over—thirty-two. There was no way Aurora could go through with the pact now. There was a chance Spencer could find his mate. She let out a big sigh.
And Tad did, too.
16
It’s Not Always Good to Be King
Matthias didn’t like lying to his sister, but he needed space. Insistent and persuasive were traits that all Magnusson females exuded. She wanted, needed a child. And she grew more fretful each year. With only one fertile period a year, Moira’s obsession was a lot to handle. Moira had grown her own health food chain and healthy living empire in search of her own answers. That didn’t mean she didn’t expect her big brother to help, too. He wanted to help, but he also didn’t want the bottom line of his business to hurt—that went against the dragon nature. So, he hadn’t given the altered wristbands to multiple couples, only one. And now he was doubting his decision.
He thundered down the stairs to the bridge from his office. The night crew greeted him from their stations along the way—‘Captain’. He nodded and saluted. Edvard stood next to First Officer Laurit.
“Did you have a nice flight, Captain?” Laurit turned away from the charts.
“Good enough.” Not really. He had stretched his wings, but normally it cleared his mind, too. The damn witch and his sister made everything more complicated.
“I didn’t expect either one of you to be on the bridge.” He glanced back at the rest of the night crew. They would guide the Dark Wing through the night. He’d be up every few hours to check on things. Dragons as a whole didn’t need much sleep. While he trusted his crew to keep things going and to call on him when they weren’t, it didn’t hurt to check on them. Edvard glimpsed at the chart on the console in front of them while Laurit stared at Matthias.
“Not this again.” Matthias glanced at the headings on the monitor over Edvard’s shoulder. They were off course, not by much, but closer to that damn island. The island the two of them went on about. He glared. He trusted both of them. “Talk.”
Edvard smiled. “Right. It’s been five months since we’ve taken this route.” Edvard paused. Laurit inclined his head to Edvard. Matthias leaned against the console. “We’ve done some digging, and it’s not registered to anyone.”
“Edvard did the digging. But he’s right. I couldn’t find it registered, either.”
“It’s perfect. Natural deep harbor. Slow rise for a good view. At least one sandy beach.” Edvard pointed the features out on the chart.
Matthias shifted. “We—I—have an island. And that island has wells and electricity already.”
Laurit stood next to him. Not many were bigger than Matthias, Laurit excluded. “True, but it’s harbor is shallow, and for three trips in the last month, we weren’t able to land.”
Matthias nodded. It infuriated him when that happened. But sometimes it couldn’t be helped. He scrutinized the chart. They had brought it to him several times. But not since they missed three landings in a month on the island he already owned.
“This harbor—it’s big.”
“Big enough for more than one ship at a time,” Laurit added to Edvard.
“Bring the ship a little closer, let’s have a look.”
* * *
Matthias growled. He didn’t like waiting. When he decided he wanted to do something, he wanted to do it immediately. Another reason having a mate wouldn’t work for him. He didn’t want to be a team with anyone.
“Why am I here in the middle of the night Matthias?” Violet swooped onto the launch deck. Matthias frowned at her outfit. The witch wore a lightweight robe with a flower turban on her head. At least the younger witch, Sam, had on shorts, and a Dark Wing polo poked out from her under her windbreaker. Her hair was in a more sensible pony tail. Edvard, Laurit, and four other crew members were already on board the small vessel. The boat hung from the side of the ship; Dark Wing’s engines held the ship still for the moment.
“What the hell are you wearing, Violet?”
“I am wearing clothes to go to bed. That’s what I do at ten o’clock at night. I go to bed. I’ve been a little under the weather, you see.” Her arms crossed, and the lightweight robe flapped in the wind. “And you didn’t answer me. Why the Hell am I here?” The witch didn’t go to bed at ten; he doubted she ever slept.
“We need to check out the island over there. And I need you to tell me if you can sense anyone.”
“And you can’t use a heat gun for that?” Violet didn’t budge as Matthias put a hand out for her to board the little vessel. He put his hand out for Sam instead.
He laughed. “Yes, Violet, I could use a heat detection, your interpretation of the island.” For all the problems she caused, witches were useful. They could detect things he couldn’t, even with his heightened sense. Witches could read the vibrations from a piece of land. Was the environment crying out from unseen pollution? They could sense pixies and other magical creatures. And for an island as nice as this one appeared to be, there was a reason it wasn’t owned.
“Matthias, I am not lying to you when I say I can’t use my powers for long. Sam can go.” She motioned at Sam.
“Are you going to be okay?” Sam questioned in a whisper to Violet.
“You go, Samantha. Come find me when you get back.” Violet’s robe fluttered as she strode away.
The security guard Matthias had sent to retrieve the witches squinted at him, but he shook his head. “Let her go.” Matthias put his hand out for Sam again, and she boarded.
The boat bounced on top of the waves towards the island. The Dark Wing moved forward now at idle speed. Matthias settled on a narrow bench next to Sam. She peered towards the island. As much as Violet frustrated him, he understood her. This witch scared him a bit. She didn’t have an agenda. Not one that he could make out. All of the witches in his past were easy to decipher. This one, not so much. “Thanks for coming out.”
“Oh, I had a choice?” Sam crossed her legs and scrutinized the horizon.
Shit. He had twenty minutes to work this.
“No. No, you didn’t, but I thank you, anyway.”
“What—am I supposed to tip the hangman now?”
“What’s gotten into you? We are just checking out the island for expansion.”
She turned towards him, and her brown eyes flashed blue. Shit. “Why would I want to do anything for you when you are killing the person who is most important to me?”
“Killing?” He rocked backwards with shock. He eyed the crew member sitting on the other side of Sam. She moved towards the front with Laurit and Edvard.
“Yeah, killing.” Sam said.
He blew a breath out. He needed to ask her about the couple that had the bands. He knew that Sam and Violet followed up to see how the fated mates did during the cruise. In a way, it was better that Violet hadn’t come, since she would want to know why he was interested. “She having difficulty matching mates up now? I thought there were at least a dozen on this cruise.”
Sam shook her head. She poked him in the chest. “You know it’s not instant. We make the matches, but it takes time to find the right cruise, to get all parties on board. This last one, I had to find a way to get a woman who never used vacation time from work to go on holiday. It took six mo
nths of planning. The land office struggled over this cruise for months.”
“Right. Right. How are the couples coming along? Like the names you gave me?” That sounded casual, he hoped. He had never asked about couples before.
Sam squinted again. The moonlight cast his shadow over her face. “Why do you care?”
Shit. He shrugged. “Making conversation.”
She pursed her lips. “The Lion and her mate are mated already. I saw them at dinner tonight. They were super cute together. The Bears are almost there. I think.”
“Good, and the wolf?”
“Not yet. That one is a little more complicated. It’s only a matter of time. I think. Maybe.”
The boat bounced on choppy waves as they pulled up to the beach. Shit, why didn’t he give the tracking bands to one of the other two couples? He needed to stop stereotyping, but all of the other wolves he knew were quick to mate. He should have given the data bracelets to all of the couples. Shit.
Two of the crew members jumped out of the boat to pull it up onto the sand.
17
Game Day
Aurora sat down beside her name tag. Gunnar hovered over her. “Are you sure you will be okay? I’ll leave your crutches right here against the wall where no one will trip on them.”
“Yes, Mom, I am fine.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? I know that guy said …” Gunnar pointed to the event judge in the red-stained shirt. Something about the man made her uncomfortable, too. “Do you need ice for your knee?” Gunnar fiddled with the bandage tape on her knee. Aurora resisted the urge to push him away.
“If you want to stay, you have to stand over there. You’d be bored. Go find something to do, someone to do. Thank you for helping me, but you are smothering me a little.”
The rest of the contestants at her table were staring. One pale girl with neon pink eye shadow rested her head on her fist and sighed openly. She may even have said extremely softly, “I can help you with that.” But Gunnar ignored her and nodded at Aurora.