by L M Lacee
She seemed to relax at the word, or it could have been that he had repeated the familiar action that settled her. Whichever it was, she nodded very slightly as he withdrew.
Amused June carried on with the introductions. “Lars Axton, this is Claire Nash and the little cub in your arms is Kammy who is Claire’s daughter. I know you have heard Sage and myself talk about Claire. I am amazed you two have not met until now.” She turned to Claire and said. “Claire this is Lars Axton as you know he is Prime to Reighn and nest brother to Stanvis and all the Kingsley brothers.”
Claire groaned silently, her mate! She had finally found her mate and what a mate he was. Tall with broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist and legs that held muscles as did his arms, in fact she bet he had muscles on muscles. Could you say gorgeous?
His hair was golden with white streaks that had been professionally styled and sat just past his collar. Claire clenched her hands, she so wanted to run her fingers through all of those blond locks to feel the texture. She bet it was soft and would slip through her fingers like silk and she already knew it smelled expensive much as his look screamed money. Then she felt her work roughened hands and realized that touching him was so not going to happen. There was no way she could put her hands on him. It would be embarrassing.
Claire had a thing about men’s hands which Sage and June had teased her about on occasion. And there was no denying her mate’s fingers were long and his hands were wide and strong. ‘Yummy!’
She sighed, this male was all over beautiful and sadly rich. She could tell from his styled haircut to his tailored clothes that he came from money. What she wondered would he think of her a former street rat?
What Lars thought was summed up in one word. Enchantress! She was delightful from her black and white hair to her lovely rounded breast that almost made him whimper with want. To her delectable shaped legs that ended in a pair of boots, she had to have the smallest feet he had ever seen on an adult. She was more elfin than warrior but as he looked into her gorgeous green eyes he saw the core of steel within.
Claire shook her head in amusement at herself. She was not sure if she wanted to crawl all over him or run for the hills. An honest to Goddess, dragon. She had never in her wildest dreams, and Claire had lots of dreams. Ever thought a dragon would be her mate.
She refused to hear the little voice that sounded a lot like her hateful ex-boyfriend. Who told her on many, many occasions that no decent male would ever want a street rat like her! Of course that was before she shot him. Lucky for him she had been feeling generous that day and only shot his ear off. She banished his voice and that time of her life back into the recesses of her mind and placed herself in the here and now.
“I am probably not what you thought your shadow would be like. I expect you wanted some tall, slim professional female. Not a half-breed cougar who lived a great part of her youth on the streets and does not know what country she was born in. A female that has had no contact with her family and has no wish too?”
Lars took her tightly clenched hand in his large one and kissed her work roughened knuckles. “You are my shadow! What fantasies I may have had, do not compare to what is here now in front of me. My dragon and I have waited for our entire long life to have someone of our own. What either of us had dreamed of or wished for before, pales in comparison to what is here. I know you know of my beginnings.” At her sheepish look he said. “I know Sage and June as well as Edith. We all know they gossip.”
“Hey!” June cried. “Still here!”
Lars raised one eyebrow at her. She shrugged. “Well, it is not like males don’t gossip?”
Lars smiled, he could not deny that. “True!” He said to Claire. “In light of that, we have both been lucky to surround ourselves with family we want and now we have each other and our Kammy, what else is there?”
Claire sighed as she swayed towards him saying. “Nothing… Nothing more! Okay, but first things first!” Claire pulled her face into her best frown and adopted her sternest tone as she looked at the small cub in her mate’s arms. “Well little kitten. What do you have to say for yourself? Running off like you did was dangerous, you could have been hurt, you snuck out of your Auntie June’s home. She was very worried.”
Which was a tame way of saying June’s heart pounding panic was like a case of mild heart burn. Not even close to the terror she had felt.
Claire frowned harder. “I too was very worried about you, when I returned to find you missing. Lots of people were worried. We were just about to call in Uncle Reighn and Auntie Sage.”
Kammy hung her head. Uncle Rain and Auntie Sage. She was in real trouble.
Claire tried not to smile at the sad tiger cub as she said. “Auntie June had to stop baking her delicious cookies to come look for you.”
The cubs head lifted and she sadly made soft mewing sounds. When her mama made no move to comfort her. Kammy sighed, she knew what her mama wanted her to do. She could not hide in her tiger skin any more.
Hands on her hips, Claire waited. Lars could tell her heart was not in the scolding, but the cub hung her head lower and slipped from his arms. Then with a shimmer of sparkles, they were faced with the small figure of a small slim, tanned naked girl child standing on the table.
With a flick of his hand, he dressed her in a yellow dress and cute white socks and black shoes. She looked adorable with her short blonde hair streaked with red and her big green eyes staring at him in wonder. Her little rosebud mouth opened in an astonished circle. Even Claire was impressed. Who knew Dragons did simple magic huh!
With effort she remembered her daughter and tore her eyes from her mate as she cleared her throat saying mildly. “Kammy!”
She walked over to Claire and wrapped her arms around her neck and in a clear voice said. “Butsa mama, I found dada!”
They both looked at Lars who had a big smile on his face. Claire tried not to smile, she really did as she agreed. “I see that honey but you ran away and that was naughty. What if mama or Auntie June could not have found you?”
“Because the bad mans gets me?” Asked Kammy. They all turned to see Lars with his fangs extended and eyes elongated and a soft growl emanating from him. Claire figured a normal female would have been running for the hills. She just thought he was hot. Did mama say hot?
“Mama, why dada growly?” Asked Kammy.
“Probably because you ran away from Auntie June?” Claire said with a straight face and ignored June’s snort of laughter. Kammy’s little mouth went back into the O position again, then she tipped her head to the side as she said. “Kay, me not do that agin dada.” She went to Lars and gave his face a pat saying. “Okay dada I not run away from mama or Auntie June agin.”
Lars closed his eyes and breathed deeply. June and Claire watched him regain control of his dragon. He opened his eyes which they were surprised to see held a smile in the depths of the grey stone.
June said much to Claire’s embarrassment and surprise. “If it helps, she means issues. Claire has them! Kammy and Molly hunted for them all day yesterday.”
Kammy nodded and said sadly. “We not find them. You kill them dada okay?”
Lars smiled at Claire’s embarrassed face as he said. “Leave it to me. I will fix them.” It was as if the sun came out, Kammy smiled and laughed. “Me finds dada to kill issuues mama!”
“Yes honey.” She turned to Lars and said as honest as she could be. “I do have issues with trust and being alone. I swear they are the major ones. There may be a few more hiding around.” She shrugged. “I work on them constantly.”
He nodded. “That is what is so good about having a dragon as a shadow. We never leave and never stray. I am yours for eternity. There will never be anyone else for us!”
“Oh…Oh yeah, well okay!” Claire stumbled a little over how to answer him because with those words, she felt something unlock in her heart and soul.
June said to Claire in Spanish… “While you were away Kammy dreamt of w
hen you were hurt and Graces kidnapping. She told me she thought the issues had done that.”
Claire replied in the same language. “Oh well okay. I will talk to Rene` about that. Thanks June.”
“No problems. That is why I am the auntie.”
Lars said in Spanish. “Now I understand the reference to killing.”
“Yeah, I thought she had not seen any of that. Guess I was wrong.” Said Claire.
“Kids get to see and hear stuff all the time they are not meant too.” Lars told her with a smile.
“And now you know why we speak Spanish.” June told him.
“I do, logical and efficient.”
Kammy smiled, “Pretty words.”
Lars agreed with her. “It is very pretty.”
“So Kammy found you then?” Asked June reverting back to English and getting back to the original topic, giving her friend a minute to get herself together. She had never seen Claire look like she had been sucker punched before. It was slightly amusing. June thought maybe that was what falling in love was like. Never having experienced it herself she had no idea. Lars nodded as he hugged the little girl gently. “It seems she did. She is delightful.”
He spoke directly to the little girl who had her arms wrapped around his neck now. “But my little cub, you will promise your mama and dada not to ever run away again!”
Kammy pouted her lips and said. “But dada, sometimes me tiger wants to run.”
Lars nodded his head. “I understand, sometimes my dragon wants to fly as well.”
“You fly me. Like Molly’s dada fly her?” She squealed with pleasure,
“Yes, I will. Now I will find someone for you to run with.” He looked at Claire. “Do you know Conor Tower? He is a lion?”
“I know of him. We have not officially met yet, although that is about to change. When I become the official Liaison to Dragon’s Gap.”
“I know him. He is a good male.” June said.
“He is the sheriff in town. He and his pride look after the people here. They also do retrievals on occasion.” He asked Claire. “Would he be acceptable to run with our little Kammy?”
“I suppose. I would like to meet him of course.”
“Of course and there is my brother Stanvis’s shadow, Jacks.”
“Me like Auntie Jacks.” Said Kammy.
“You know her?”
“She is helping Kammy with control.” Claire told him.
Confused he asked. “She does not run with her?”
Claire shook her head. “No Leopards run very fast, too fast for cubs. Once she is in her leopard skin, she is borderline controlled. Before she came here, she had liked to hunt.”
Surprised he would never have thought that of Jacks. He said. “Ahh! I see, the teaching is helping her.”
They were both impressed he understood. “Yes it was June’s idea.”
June smiled as she said. “It seemed to make sense.”
“Well, we will ask Conor if he cannot help. I am sure he will find you someone to run with Kammy. A safe someone.”
“Kay dada. We run with Molly.” She snuggled down against his chest and smiled at her mother, who cocked one eyebrow up. “You still get to be punished young lady.”
Kammy turned beseeching eyes to Lars, who smiled and told her. “Your mama is correct.”
Kammy sighed. “Yes dada.”
Claire said. “As you ran away from your Auntie June, she will set the punishment for you. June?”
“Well now a punishment! Mmm! Let me see. I think it only fair Kammy helps me clean-up my kitchen. Yes, that is a good punishment.”
Kammy almost clapped her hands. She loved cleaning Auntie June’s kitchen. Then she remembered she was to be sad. Kammy lifted her head from Lars chest and said. “I can do that.”She looked at Lars and said. “I’ma good at me punshmnts!”
He asked. “Do you get a lot?”
Kammy laughed a sound of pure delight. “I likes cookies.”
“I have no idea what that means?”
Claire frowned, and it was not pretend this time as she told him. “For punishments June and Grace have the girls help clean their kitchens and or the dishes. Usually, after they have made cookies, they get to eat all the broken cookies and there are always lots of them.”
June said innocently. “It is sad to say, this is true.”
“It is how they get broken, no one admits too!” Grumbled Claire.
Lars laughed at the inventive way they disciplined his cub. He knew Claire was not upset even if she sounded like it. Claire’s attention was trapped by his laugh he held nothing back as he let the world hear his amusement. It was honest and genuine. It lightened her heart taking her by surprise at how much she enjoyed it.
CHAPTER SEVEN:
J une said. “Well!”
As she eyed the fascinated Claire who was staring at her dragon like he was ice cream. No time like the present she thought, time to tackle a problem. “So while we are all here, we should all go look at the house. See how far you have gotten Claire?”
Kammy squealed with delight and clapped her hands. “Yes…Yes, show dada home.”
Claire looked startled and said weakly. “Well we don’t have to do that! We should really get home to the castle and tidy your place.”
Lars smiled. “I am sure we can put that off for a few hours. So let’s go and look at Kammy’s home. Is that alright June?”
“Oh, of course we can.”
Claire tried one more time with a sinking feeling in her stomach that it would not work. She looked at her soon to be mate and her best friend and then her daughter who was bouncing with excitement. And she plunged on, her voice faint as she tried to sway them against going to the house once more. “Look Lars must have many things he needs to do. We are interrupting him!”
Lars as did June, ignored her. Kammy continued to bounce up and down. “Let’s go dada. See new home mama got us.”
Claire groaned softly as Lars asked. “So you have a home here in town?”
Claire bit her bottom lip as she thought quickly and with a well-practiced sad sigh, she said. “Yeah but I suppose we have to live at the castle now, too bad!”
She was not expecting the damn male to grin and say. “Oh, that is amazing, I was just sitting here wondering at the possibilities of living here in town and look problem solved!”
Desperately Claire asked with June’s confused eyes on her. “Oh, we cannot ask that of you. Your family, the royals, will they allow it?”
He frowned as he asked. “Why would they not?”
Claire could see the hole, but she jumped anyway. “Well, you are one of them. Right?”
His voice became a little cooler as he said. “One of them! Please explain my shadow?”
Claire was in deep now but she kept going in the hopes she could dig her way out. “You know a royal. You live at the friggin castle and dress in clothes that cost a fortune. Your hair cut, cost probably more than my whole wardrobe, for example.” She stamped her foot at June who was smothering her laughter. Lars eyebrows had risen with each word she had spoken. Finally, she threw her hands into the air and growled defensively. “Do not get an attitude with me!”
Lars smiled at her tone. So cute! He told his dragon who said. She is hiding something!
You think?
“Now may be a good time to clear that misconception up. My shadow I am not royal in the way you mean. And I will not apologize for my clothes or hair. I earn the money I use to indulge in both.”
His voice June noticed, was the calm tones of a male who was dealing with a female he is unsure of, but thought adorable. She smiled inwardly as she thought Claire had finally met her match in the dragon.
Claire felt mean, an unusual feeling as she hunched her shoulders. “Yeah well, this is probably a good time to mention the other issues I have. With clothes and fancy stuff and mostly money!”
Lars gave her thoughtful look and waved his hand in the air. “Let us talk about this later, f
or now we should take our little one and see this house.”
June snapped her phone closed. “Cabs coming.”
Claire hung her head, staring at defeat in the face of their happiness. She huffed out a breath as she thought. Damn and double damn! Nothing for it now! She nodded in agreement as she gave in. What else was there to do?
After a short cab ride they were standing in an empty house on a lovely street that ran parallel from the main street of Dragon’s Gap. June stood with her mouth open.
Lars looked around surprised and impressed, it was amazing. This was the home she had chosen? He had designed this house along with several others in Dragon’s Gap and had enjoyed the experience. If he said so himself, it turned out well.
Kammy ran off to explore her new home. Claire stood still, her hands shoved deep into the back pockets of her jeans. Lars looked from one female to the other. What? He wondered was the problem. He did not have to wait too long to find out.
June roared loudly, unlike some females she did not screech, she roared. “Nothing! You have done nothing! There are not even carpets or curtains. NOTHING!”
Claire hunched her shoulders and shrugged a little apologetically saying. “I know.”
“It is not rocket science! Why?” June asked as she looked around the empty lounge again as if she might find some furniture she had missed the first time! “Nothing!” She shook her head in amazement. “Not a stick of furniture anywhere!” She looked at Claire like she was under a microscope and asked again. “Why?”
June and Lars stood looking at her as Kammy ran in and out of the rooms. Claire squirmed. “Because I was unsure what I was looking at. Nothing made sense, okay?”
Lars said. “I am obviously missing something. What is going on?”
Claire refused to meet his or June’s eyes. June narrowed hers as she said with hands on her slim hips. “An unfurnished home.”
Lars looked bemusedly from one female to the other.