DRAGON'S GAP: Set Includes Stories 1-3 Plus Love's Catalyst

by L M Lacee

  Rene` held his hand up. “Charlie wait!”

  She raised her eyebrows and clenched her teeth together. “What?”

  “It will be quicker if I explain to Edith and Sharm.” He tapped his head as she grumbled a “Yes.” And then said. “We have to work on our communication skills here Rene`.”

  Which he ignored as he started to explain to Edith and Sharm. She turned to Clint. “Can I have some coffee now, please?” He moved swiftly and handed her the steaming cup. “Just milk right?”

  “How did you know?”

  “It is a gift!” He said cheekily.

  She raised her cup in salute. “Very funny”

  As he went to get a drink for the girls. Sharm said. “Not until I have checked them Clint.”

  With a sad face he looked at the girls. “After okay?”

  They all nodded. Gently Sharm leaned towards Charlie with his hands outstretched. “May I?”

  Charlie swallowed and said. “He is really scared.”

  “We will be careful.” Sharm murmured as he gently took the silent baby from her arms and Charlie was shocked how much she missed the slight weight. She almost snatched him back. Sharm smiled and Edith gave her arm a pat. “I suspect I know how you feel, we will be just over there.” She pointed to the bed by the wall.

  Charlie’s. “Okay” Was more a puff of air. She watched as Sharm laid her baby down on the bed, he was so tiny lying there. She felt small hands patting different parts of her body and looked down to see her girls. Their eyes glued to the baby as well, their hands on her. Charlie just stood there and drank her coffee. Amazingly enough, she became calmer as she felt their little hands touching her.

  CHAPTER FIVE:

  S harm unwrapped the tiny baby as Edith placed her hand over his chest. Weeks earlier she discovered that her bear traded her ability to shift for gifts. And one of those gifts was the ability to determine the age of a person or child another was she could state with certainty their date of birth.

  Her greatest gift for Dragon’s Gap was her ability to recognize what animal soul shared a body with a half-shifter or full shifter. It had helped many a family when they went to adopt a baby or young child to know what to expect as the child grew, rather than be surprised. Not all the children who were at Dragon’s Gap belonged to their birth family.

  As she held her hand over the baby her shocked. “Oh!” Stopped everyone in the room, when she moved back away from the table saying. “Oh dear!”

  Sharm hurriedly undressed the baby as he asked Edith. “My love, what did you find?”

  Rene` moved closer to them. “What is it dear girl?”

  Charlie held herself still and pushed down the spurt of fear that jumped into her chest. Edith looked over at Charlie and tried to smile, then she looked up at both males. “He is a full dragon.”

  Sharm murmured “Well, that explains that!”

  Surprised she asked. “You knew?”

  “I guessed, the eyes sort of give it away.” He told her as Rene` muttered. “It means nothing!”

  In a louder voice, Sharm issued orders to Clint. “Call in June and find Ella and Donald. We will need them.”

  Shocked by the revelation Clint just stood there staring at the hatchling, until Sharm growled softly. “Now Clint!”

  Jerking he nodded then ran from the room, fingers flying over the screen of his phone as he moved. Sharm asked. “My soul did you find out how old he is?”

  “Oh yes, he is seven weeks old.”

  Charlie watched and listened as Edith said her baby was a full dragon and he was seven weeks old. Rene` came to her and took her cold hand in his. “It means nothing!”

  Charlie refused to shift her eyes from her baby’s lavender ones. “You know it does. They will try to take him from me. You know they will?”

  Rene` declared. “My dear Charlie, they will have to go through me to make that happen.”

  Charlie finally tore her eyes from her baby boy, and looked up at him and saw the dragon looking down at her. She knew they did not just say the words. For whatever reason Rene` was on her side. Instantly she felt the wall around her heart loosen, and the crack widen. Her eyes slowly lost the haunted look replaced by a clear steely grey. She cleared the fear from her throat and asked in her normal voice.

  “Right! So how do you think he ended up in that hellhole?”

  Rene` pulled on his bottom lip. “That is a really good question. I am going to hypothesize a guess and say his parents were wild Dragons.”

  At her surprised look, he clarified. “We have pockets of them all over the world.”

  “Were?”

  Quietly he answered. “We don’t give up our young easily.”

  Dead was what he was saying, somehow her baby boy’s parents had been killed and their young taken. Charlie could relate to that, as she felt the young bodies pushed against hers. She knew dragons weren’t the only ones that fought for their young. Her attention was caught by three people who rushed into the room and hurried over to Sharm and Edith.

  Sharm placed a blanket over the baby and turned to the two females and male as he did a quick summation. “Ella, Donald, June, we have a seven-week old male dragon. We suspect from wild parents probably deceased. He definitely has some royal blood as his eyes are lavender.”

  “What does that mean?” Charlie softly asked Rene` who answered. “Only royal dragons have purple eyes.”

  She looked at him and raised an eyebrow in a question. He sighed. “When we shift.”

  “So the fact he has them now, means what?”

  Rene` shrugged. “Not much more than that they may change before his first birthday. As I said he would have very little, but Sharm will take blood and make sure.”

  Charlie took in a breath and said. “Well alright then. Should I be worried about that?”

  Rene` assured her. “No same thing applies, he is yours.” They brought their attention back to Sharm as he said. “The hatchling was brought in with four young female shifters, all abused to one degree or another. My father will attend to their mental well-being. We will only concentrate on their bodies. The Lady.”

  He gave a nod to Charlie as they all turned to look at her, standing surrounded by said girls. “Is Charlie Easton the guardian of all the young until further notice?”

  The females gave her wide smiles. The males look was less than happy as his eyes took on a look of speculation. Charlie knew instinctively he was not pleased with her having a possible royal dragon in her custody, probably not any dragon. Trouble was going to be coming for her before the night was over. She felt it in the itch between her shoulder blades as she heard Sharm say. “I know you have all treated shifters before.” At their nods he restated. “So remember the two rules, ask for permission first. Tell Lady Charlie what you are going to do before you do it. If we all do that we should all stay alive and whole.”

  They all quietly laughed, even Charlie cracked a smile.

  It was true but still funny!

  The tension in the room scaled down a few notches, Charlie was impressed. Healer Sharm knew his stuff, Sharm turned to her and asked. “Which way do you want to go oldest to youngest?”

  Charlie asked. “What is going to happen?”

  Sharm smiled. “I apologize. I forgot my own rules.” He bowed deeply then rose. Charlie’s eyebrows crept up at the formality. “These are my most trusted healers Ella and Donald. They are both accustomed to healing young shifters. June is as I am sure you know our liaison. She is a shifter as well and understands how your young should be cared for. Firstly we will treat your young, then Papa will do his magic.” He continued with a decided twinkle in his eyes. “We have found with the healing that the young usually sleep well. But with Papa’s added treatment they should sleep well into the morning.”

  Charlie just stared at him when he finished talking, thinking over what he said. It would be good if the girls could stay asleep. As they needed the added healing that came from sleep. She nodded her head. �
�Okay then, youngest to oldest I think would work better. Could Edith help me with Cara? I am not sure of her age, plus I don’t know what animal she is or isn’t. In fact, I don’t know what any of them are?”

  Edith came over and touched her lightly on the shoulder. “No problem. May I?”

  At Charlie’s nod she held her hand out to Cara and said as she waited. “It is alright sweet girl. If you could place your hand on mine, I can tell your mama how old you are?”

  Cara looked at Charlie who smiled. “It’s okay honey.” Finally, the little girl placed her small hand in Edith’s. A few seconds later Edith kissed Cara’s little fingers much to her astonishment, her mouth went back into the ‘O’ position as Edith stood up saying. “Thank you Cara.”

  She then did the same with each of the girls, thanking them each in turn. She moved Charlie away a little, then whispered. “Okay so Kelsey is five and three months and a full cougar. I will write their birth dates down for you later.”

  “Thank you.”

  “The twins are four and six months and half wolf. Cara is twenty-seven months old. Charlie, she does not have an animal spirit, she is other. Though what that is I don’t know.”

  “Thank you Edith. I figured as much, the age thing is very cool, you have a really fabulous talent.”

  She grinned at her. “I know… right!”

  Charlie grinned back, then turned to June as Edith went back to the baby and Sharm. “You are the liaison that Clint messaged when we were driving here right, what is it you do exactly?”

  That lady smiled at Charlie’s question and looked around at every face that turned towards her. “I definitely am the liaison.” She shook Charlie’s hand. “And very nice to finally meet you. What I do is make sure that when you are finished here, you are taken to your room…”

  Rene` interrupted her saying. “Apartment, they are to be given the rainbow apartment.”

  June nodded her head to him and said. “I stand corrected my Lord Rene`, I will have the apartment readied.” To Charlie she said. “I will make sure you will have everything you need, food, beds for your young, etc...Then tomorrow, we go shopping.”

  Charlie smiled at the female. Fun times! “I have a slight problem June.”

  June cocked her head to one side thinking. Only a slight problem? From where she stood Charlie seemed to be inundated with many… many problems and none of them were slight. But she kept that to herself, asking instead. “What would that be?”

  Clearing her throat, a little Charlie said sheepishly. “I can’t cook!”

  June smiled as she gave Charlie’s arm a pat. “No problem with that, you are not the first believe me. Food will be taken care of, just get these young ones finished here and leave everything else up to me. That’s what I do best.”

  When she turned to go, Charlie halted her, leaning into her space a little. “Don’t forget the coffee June. I am going to need it!” Making June realize Charlie indeed knew what she was up for. She gave her another pat on the shoulder this time and whispered. “Oh Charlie this is the land of the never ending supply of coffee… ask Edith. Never fear there will be plenty, I promise.”

  June slipped from the room obviously to do things like, find the rainbow apartment and fix it up. Charlie thought, as she shook her head these people just amazed her. With June gone the healing began in earnest. Charlie was unable to keep her eyes on the baby as he was surrounded by Sharm, Edith and the male healer, Donald.

  Rene` stayed with her as Ella approached slowly, she knelt down in front of the girls. Each of them drew back a little into the chair keeping Charlie slightly in front of themselves.

  The stench of fear rose swiftly, it took everything Charlie had, not to snatch the female off the floor and throw her out the doors. Rene` stood on one side of her, Clint came to the other, probably sensing her thoughts. Although she had to give the female kudos. She never flinched. She was aware of her but her attention stayed on the girls as she spoke to the four girls.

  “I am Ella. I am a healer.” She looked at Charlie saying. “When I heal. I will touch as little as possible. Is that alright?”

  Charlie nodded her head. Ella smiled and softly asked the girls. “Would you girls like to see something amazing?”

  They stayed silent, eyes watchful it did not deter her, she carried on as though they had agreed. “In my pocket I have a little faerie. She is very nice, she helps me do magic. Would you like to see?”

  Eyes as wide as saucers now, the girls all nodded their heads. Slowly she put her hand in the pocket of her pink doctor’s coat, and the girls’ eyes tracked her all the way. Charlie found herself with her eyes locked on the females hand as well. For the life of her, she could not look away, she swore she heard a laugh. Ella withdrew her hand and watched their eyes track her movements. She had been very aware of the female guardian’s thoughts and feelings. It took everything she possessed to steel herself to remain where she was, and not turn tail and run. Her dragon told her. She is a good female like our Edee, loves little ones.

  Ella asked her. You can see that?

  Yes, very protective I think she kill to keep little ones safe. I like her!

  It was weird having someone else who talked in her mind. Ella’s dragon, like some of the other female dragons was making herself known. Ella had been at Edith’s and Sage’s girls’ night for their bonding or mating as they called it. When her dragon spoke to her. Not for the first time but the first truly long rational conversation. It shocked her so much she had fallen off her chair. Luckily Lady Verity and Edith were there to help her and convince her she was not going crazy. Lady Verity said it would take time to establish a bond. Now weeks later they conversed frequently. Ella knew she was well on the way to becoming friends with her dragon.

  As Ella watched the girls eyes, she could see they were with her now, all she had to do was hope her little friend did the trick. She opened her fingers, and sitting on her palm was the tiniest little person Charlie and the girls had ever seen.

  “Her name is Prudence!”

  A collective sigh filled the room as four little girls a teenage boy and one grown female could not believe their eyes. Ella held her finger out, and the little faerie hauled herself up and stood. She was about three inches tall with red hair and was dressed in a teal green dress. Her small red gossamer wings glittered as they fluttered back and forth. Charlie squinted a little, the faerie was a little fuzzy, as though you were looking at her through gauze.

  Rene` smiled as he softly said with a bow to the faerie. “I did not know your kind were already on our lands?” Ella answered for her as the faerie returned the bow and then looked around her. “They only fully settled in the last month. The Grove took longer than they thought it would to finish growing. They had to keep expanding, so many wished to come and home here.”

  Clint told Charlie and the girls. “A Grove is where faeries like Prudence call home. It is a truly wondrous and magical place. Our Lord Reighn granted the new Queen Scarlett and King Elijah Wilde. Permission to set up a Grove in the valley, west of the town and the castle. With permission we are allowed to visit, but you can only go there with a guide understand?” They all nodded as Charlie said. “Yep got it!”

  Ella told them. “Prudence has decided with permission from her Queen and Master Sharm to study medicine. She and I have formed a team.”

  Amused at the passionate tone from the usually reserved healer. Rene` softly answered. “I can see that you would make a fine team.”

  With a blush Ella made herself more comfortable on the floor. She placed her hand on the edge of the chair and Prudence flitted across the space landing on Cara’s leg. Cara sat completely still with her eyes large and round.

  With a kind tone Ella said. “Well look at that Cara, you must have a little magic. Prudence likes you.”

  Cara opened her mouth wide in her toddlers smile, not once did she take her eyes from the faerie. Prudence sat and bowed her head, her posture one of meditation.

&nb
sp; Charlie asked Ella. “What is she doing?”

  Ella sat on the floor in the same pose answering as she did so. “She is getting ready to help me heal young Cara. Do I have your permission Lady Charlie?”

  Charlie grinned at the woman. “It is just Charlie, and yes Ella, you do.”

  Ella smiled at Cara as she said. “So Cara, I have to hold your hand for a little bit is that alright with you?”

  Cara finally looked away to Charlie who said. “It is okay Cara, just like with Edee.” She leant over and kissed her cheek rubbing her face against the same spot, moving back as Cara said. “Kay.”

  Charlie sighed in relief. She did speak!

  Ella gave a worried look to Charlie who murmured just loud enough for her to hear. “I was not sure she could speak. That is the first word she has said, and I thank you and Prudence for causing that to happen.”

  Ella glanced at Rene’ who winked at her. She blushed again and knew that she was just given the sentiment of trust. Ella with the blush still staining her cheeks bowed her head and took little Cara’s hand in hers. To Charlie, Prudence seemed to blur even more as she sat on Cara’s leg.

  Charlie and the girls’ watched Cara slump in her seat. Tensing Charlie held her ground, obviously Cara was being healed and by the look of Ella and Prudence they were going deep into a healing trance. She made herself turn away from them and refill her cup and sipped her coffee as the twins and Kelsey sat mesmerized by the faerie. She refrained from looking at the baby. Her heart hurt each time she sneaked glimpses of him.

  Rene` and Clint were in a discussion about starting a league or something. Charlie tuned them out, just as she was turning to place her cup back on the table. Behind her a male and female burst through the doors only to come to a stop on the threshold. One minute Rene` and Clint were leaning against the wall, the next they stood in front of the couple.

  The female was almost incoherent with desperation hissed between clenched teeth. “Move out of my way or I will move you. My young are in that room.”