He nodded slightly, but the movement nearly knocked her off her feet. Jason’s hand shot out and caught hold of her elbow, keeping her upright as the dragon took a step away from her and then bent his leg, lowering his body to the ground.
“He wants you to climb on his back,” Jason said in her ear as the world around her spun out of control.
“He wants me to...” She took a deep, steadying breath. How could she turn him down? How could she say no? She had to trust him. “Okay.”
Jason helped her place her left foot on Lorcan’s dragon’s leg and then boost herself up. “That’s it. Now hold onto the spine. It’s okay, you won’t hurt him.”
Shannon curled both hands around the horny spine that jutted out from the green dragon’s back. The dragon rocked forward and then back as he pulled his foreleg up under him once more. Then the dragon dipped down, his stomach scraping the ground before he boosted himself into the air and with one giant leap took off into the sky.
The wind tugged at her hair and her clothes and Shannon tightened her grip on Lorcan to stop herself from being dragged off his back as he climbed higher and higher toward the tallest mountains. If she let go now, there was no one to save her, she would fall to her death, her body lying bruised and broken on the rocks below. Shifting her weight and leaning forward, she held on as Lorcan’s steep climb leveled out and they flew effortlessly along hidden valleys, his wingtips almost touching the tips of the trees that filled wide gorges cut through the mountains by rivers that no longer existed. As she regained her senses after her long sleep and the shock of meeting her son’s dragon, Shannon began to relax and enjoy herself.
Her son was amazing, made of blood and scales and bone. He was real. A dragon of myth and legend made real by the shifter genes he carried. As he tipped his wings and banked to the left, she let out a whoop of joy that echoed around the high peaks and bounced back at them. Lorcan’s dragon opened his mouth and she swore he grinned as he flapped his wings harder and flew fast and true toward the highest peak, which was merely a silhouette in the dim light of the moon.
The air was cold and thin, leaving Shannon lightheaded, or maybe it was the thrill of riding on the back of a dragon that took her breath away. Lorcan flew hard toward the highest peak, circling around it, as he drew closer and closer. Did he plan to land on it? She held her breath as he thrust his mighty talons forward, his toes outstretched as he landed on the rocky tip.
He stood perfectly still like a statue for a few long moments where time seemed to stand still. Then with a strong downbeat of his wings, he took off, soaring higher, climbing through the clouds toward the moon. Her son had claimed his birthright and reveled in his strength and power. He was no longer the worried teenager trying to figure out who he was and where he fit into the world. A surge of pride swept over her and mingled with the thrill of flying. They were free. They could pack up their stuff and go anywhere, leave their troubles behind.
But as she looked back over her shoulder at the world below, the town of Bear Creek a small mass of twinkling lights, it reminded her that she had friends, people who had given their time and energy to a mother and child they didn’t know. When the dragon hunters came, she and Lorcan had to be there, she couldn’t abandon them. Or perhaps they should.
She recalled Jason’s story of how the people in the town he was helping to rebuild hid him when the rebels came. If he’d left, then the outcome might have been different. Lives might be spared if Lorcan and Shannon simply slipped away. The dragon hunters would follow, and the town would be spared.
That was not even worth considering. Jason would never let them leave alone. He’d follow them to the ends of the earth and back. Even if they managed to lose him, he would not stay here and settle back into his old life. They were linked now, a shifter and his mate, and she owed it to him to honor that bond.
So stay and fight was the only acceptable outcome.
As Lorcan reached for the moon, he suddenly turned his head and looked back down at the earth. Had he suddenly realized he’d climbed too high? The dragon swooped around, keeping his movement smooth in case he lost his precious cargo. Then he glided back down to the mountains below on silent wings. Like a bird he caught a thermal and circled around in ever-decreasing circles, aiming for the exact spot where Jason and his friends tunneled their way into the cave where the treasure lay. As he got nearer, Lorcan shivered with excitement, the scales along his back bristling as the ground drew nearer and the valley was visible. He flapped his wings, massive beats that filled the air around then with a thrum, thrum. Shannon’s heart beat in time with it as Lorcan thrust his feet forward and landed smoothly in the exact spot he’d taken off from.
“You’re back!” Jason stood at the cave entrance and waved, his face flushed with excitement as he ran forward and helped Shannon down off the dragon’s back.
Almost immediately the air filled with static electricity and the dragon faded from this world. As Jason pulled her into his arms, they watched as the empty space left by the dragon was filled with the figure of her son.
“Lorcan.” She clung to Jason while she held out her arm to her dragon-shifter son. That was going to take some getting used to. Maybe a few more dragon rides over the mountains might help cement the thought in her head. “You were amazing.”
“Thanks.” He went to her and hugged her tightly, but his attention immediately switched to Jason. “You’ve found it.”
“We have.” Jason pulled away from Shannon and took hold of her hand, pulling her and Lorcan toward the cave entrance. “We’ve just broken through. The others are clearing the debris away, but we wouldn’t go any further until you were with us.”
Lorcan trembled as he followed Shannon and Jason into the cave. His rapid breathing told her of his excitement, or maybe he was nervous. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m worried that when we see the treasure, it might be an anticlimax.” He gave a short, nervous laugh. “Harlan and Fiona assumed the treasure was gold and jewels, but they might be wrong. What if it’s just a small pile of worthless coins?”
“Lucky for you, I don’t love you just for your money,” Shannon told him as she let go of Jason’s hand and hugged her son. “Whatever is in there, it’s fine.”
“Not if we plan to use it to pay off the dragon hunters,” Lorcan replied.
“Jason has another plan for them.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Let’s go and see what your father left for you, shall we?”
Lorcan nodded. “Will you come with me?”
“Always.” She held his hand and nodded at Jason. “Thank you.”
“Just to see you happy is enough of a reward.” Jason patted Lorcan on the shoulder. “And your mom is right, no matter what we find on the other side of the tunnel, it doesn’t matter, we’ll all move on and deal with the dragon hunters.”
“Okay, I’m ready.” He took a deep, steadying breath and walked toward the tunnel. Pushing aside the plastic sheeting, they were met with a cloud of dust.
“Oh, hey, sorry, I forgot we all need to wear these. It’s clearer on the other side.” Jason handed them respirators and they quickly pulled them over their heads. The sound of her own breathing filled her ears and she felt like an astronaut about to embark on a moonwalk. But they were firmly rooted on the planet Earth. Or beneath the earth. A small giggle bubbled up inside her as the bizarre events of the last couple of weeks crowded in on her. They were about to walk down a tunnel and into a cave that was filled with treasure. Her breathing quickened and she calmed herself down, she had to be there for Lorcan and that meant keeping a level head. This was one of the most important times of his life, a rite of passage for a dragon shifter. A link to the father he’d never known.
Lorcan walked along the tunnel, his shoulder back, his head held high like a regal king of old. How did the treasure sound to him now? Was the call of it irresistible? Shannon longed to ask him to talk to her just as she always talked to him about his feelings and emotions
. When she agreed to raise the boy, she did so with the desire to show him men didn’t need to shut down their emotions as they grew into manhood. She’d always encouraged him to share his fears and doubts alongside his victories.
“It sings so loudly,” he said, his voice muffled by the respirator.
“I wish I could hear it,” Shannon replied.
“This way.” Patrick beckoned them on. “Just watch out for the rocks underfoot, we haven’t had a chance to move them all yet.”
Lorcan nodded. “Thank you!”
Patrick nodded and slapped his shoulder. “You are welcome, Lorcan.”
They walked on, the tunnel was longer than she’d expected, and she wondered how long she’d slept or what time it was since the last time she’d seen the tunnel, the Silverback Saviors had only just started excavating it. Lorcan took long strides, his pace quickening as they neared the end of the tunnel, where Killian and Gunner were shoveling dirt away. It was still just under calf height, but the rocks and stones had fallen into a heap on the other side of the tunnel as they reached the end and there was enough height for them to step over it if they ducked down low.
Lorcan embraced the two men. “Thank you.”
“Thank you!” Killian replied. “How often does a man get to dig for dragon treasure?”
“Always a child at heart,” Jason told his friend.
“Yeah, you got me.” Killian heaved a large rock off the ground and threw it out into the cave beyond. “We don’t know how far back the cave goes but my senses tell me it’s a large oval cave.”
“Let’s hope the treasure is here.” Jason shook Killian’s hand. “Thanks, man.”
“Always welcome.” Killian returned to moving the larger rocks while Lorcan, Shannon, and Jason reached the end of the tunnel and entered the cave beyond.
“You can take the respirators off in here,” Gunner said as he suddenly appeared from the edges of the darkness. “I’m trying to get you some light.” He flicked a switch and one of the solar lights lit up the cave, but it barely penetrated the darkness.
“Maybe we should just take that one with us.” Jason held out his hand and Gunner handed it to him.
“Take care, you don’t know what’s in here,” Gunner warned as he looked around the cave with some trepidation.
“A bear doesn’t belong this deep underground,” Jason said to his friend.
“Not this deep underground,” Gunner replied disapprovingly.
“Will you wait here in case we need you?” Jason asked as he peeled off his respirator and breathed in the air.
Shannon and Lorcan did the same. The air in the cave wasn’t dusty or as stale as she thought it would be. She doubted the cave was completely sealed. Perhaps there were gaps in the rocks where water had seeped in over the years. Looking up at the roof of the cave, sure enough, there were tiny stalactites clinging to the rock. What if the treasure was submerged in a pool of water and tarnished?
“Shall we...” Shannon turned to speak to Lorcan, but he was gone. “Jason.” She reached out and grabbed hold of Jason’s sleeve. “Lorcan’s gone.”
“He’s not too far. I can sense him.” Jason turned the solar light toward the middle of the cave and the light glanced off her son’s back. “The treasure is hard to resist.”
“Let’s go,” Shannon reached out and touched Gunner’s arm. “Thank you. I owe you all big time.”
“I’m sure you’ll return the favor at some point,” Gunner replied. “I’d take babysitting duties in return.”
“Deal.” She turned toward the center of the cave and took a hesitant step forward into the unknown.
Chapter Twenty-Three - Jason
Gunner was right, bears didn’t belong this far underground. They might like to make their dens in caves and make them warm and cozy for the mate and cubs, but there was nothing warm and cozy about this cave. It could never be described as homey as the low-domed roof swept away from them. Thankfully, the cave floor was smooth, as if carved from the rock itself. They hurried after Lorcan who was striding off into the darkness with no thought to his own safety. It was as if he were being pulled forward by an invisible bond, the same kind of bond that linked Jason to his mate. Inexplicable but undeniable.
“It’s here.” Lorcan half-turned and beckoned them to follow him.
“At least he’s not turning into a ferocious dragon and telling us to get the hell out of here,” Jason remarked.
“Yet.” Shannon trembled by his side as she hurried to catch up with her son.
Jason kept his body a little in front of his mate’s, needing to protect her if he had to. Young shifters were always unpredictable, and he figured dragon blood running through your veins might magnify that part of Lorcan’s nature. “I see something.” He held the light higher in the air and the pale glow glinted off something around twenty feet in the distance.
“I see it, too.” Shannon looked up at Jason, her concern mixed with excitement. “I’m not sure if you need to pinch me so I know it’s real.”
He grinned. “You’re worried you might still be lying asleep on the floor of the cave.”
“Something like that,” she admitted.
“Well, unless we’re sharing the same dream, then this is very real.” His grin widened. “And if I was sharing a dream with you, this is not my idea of pleasure.”
“No?” Shannon asked, welcoming the distraction of conversation as they neared the pile of gold and jewels.
“No, I would choose a warm beach with sun and sand and sea...” Jason’s voice stalled as his vision of making love to Shannon on a warm beach faded. “That is some pile of dragon treasure.”
“Isn’t it?” Shannon asked absently.
“It’s real!” Lorcan rushed forward and fell to his knees in a puddle of gold coins that spilled down to cover his thighs.
“It sure is.” Jason and Shannon slowed their pace and stood back as Lorcan got to his feet and waded into his hoard.
“It’s beautiful.” His voice choked with emotion as he reached for a small chest and opened it up. Diamonds and emeralds filled the chest along with a ruby pendant which Lorcan took hold of and carried toward his mom. “I want you to have these.”
“Lorcan, you don’t have to give me anything,” Shannon insisted. “It’s yours.”
Lorcan’s eyes misted with tears as the young man gazed on his mom. “This is my treasure, I can feel it as if it’s part of me. But you and Grandpa are my family. It would hurt me more to lose you than all of this treasure.”
Shannon took a step toward her son but instead of taking the jewels, she pulled him into her arms. “I love you, Lor. It doesn’t matter if you are a boy or a dragon, it doesn’t matter if you have treasure or were the poorest person on the planet, I would still love you for who you are.”
Lorcan dropped the chest on the ground where it clattered on the rock, spilling the jewels over the floor. “I love you, Mom. I just needed to find this. I needed to find who I am.”
Shannon and Lorcan stood in each other’s arms for a long while and despite the allure of the gold and jewels, it was the mother and son who he stood over and guarded. Lorcan was right, family was worth more than all the treasure in the world.
“So this is it?” Gunner called out from a safe distance where he stood with Patrick and Killian either side of him. They looked apprehensive, which Jason could understand since Lorcan could easily shift into a dragon and incinerate them all if he thought they were a threat.
“This is it.” Lorcan put his arm around his mom’s shoulder as he surveyed the treasure pile. “Now that I’ve found it, I don’t know what to do with it.”
“I’ll contact Fiona,” Jason offered. “Harlan had a vault specially made for their treasure. It’s a safe place where you can store all of this. In the twenty-first century, a cave isn’t really up to security standards.” He held up his hand as Lorcan began to object. “Don’t worry, you’ll be the only one with access. No one is going to steal it.”
“But what if I have to hand it over to the dragon hunters?” Lorcan asked. “Won’t it be better if they have to move it from here?”
Jason laughed. “You know, that might be our backup backup plan.”
“Oh, I get your drift,” Gunner said as he approached. “We could wait for them to move it and then ambush them and take it back!”
“You have been watching too many movies,” Killian laughed. “But if we need to stage a hold-up, I’m there.”
“I swear you guys belong in the old Wild West,” Jason said lightly.
“Are you saying you wouldn’t be up for a little treasure stealing?” Killian asked. “We’d be like Robin Hood stealing from those who have stolen money from others.”
“That’s not exactly what Robin Hood did, but I agree, it would be righting a wrong.” Gunner’s enthusiasm was matched by the other Silverback Saviors.
“Whoa, let’s just hold on a second,” Shannon said, stepping in between the men. “I would rather resolve this according to plan A.”
“Which is?” Lorcan asked.
“We arrange a meet at the sawmill and convince the dragon hunters that dragons aren’t real and that they will all end up in a psychiatric ward if they persist in harassing you and your family with talk of dragons.” Jason took a breath. It sounded like a simple enough plan, but whether they could pull it off was another thing. There were too many unknowns.
“You want to convince them that dragon shifters are made up?” Lorcan bristled at the thought. “But we are real. Very real. I could simply incinerate them.”
Jason - Silverback Redemption Page 17