“No.” Shannon wagged her finger at her son. “No incinerating. I don’t want any of us to have blood on our hands.” She turned her head, fixing each of the men in the cave with her gaze.
“Understood,” Jason told her. “But it has to be on the table as a last resort.” He glanced sideways at Lorcan, whose attention had been dragged back to the shiny treasure. As Lorcan hunkered down and began collecting all of the jewels he’d dropped on the ground, Jason added, “If they won’t hesitate to use whatever means they can to get what they want, we have to be willing to do the same.”
“I understand what you are saying,” Shannon said. “But I don’t want our new lives here to be tainted by death and regret.”
“And what about the regret and guilt we’d carry if something happened to one of our own instead?” He couldn’t hide the pain and fear in his eyes. “The thought of losing you, or Lorcan, or one of my friends is unbearable.”
She sighed as she watched Lorcan. “Very, very last resort.”
“I promise.” He gave a small, humorless smile. “And you know I can’t break that promise to you.”
“Okay. What do we do now?” Shannon asked as she turned away from Jason and gazed at the large pile of treasure.
“For now, I suggest we take out all of the equipment and pile some of the stone and rubble across the entrance to the cave so that if anyone happened to come in here, they wouldn’t see the tunnel leads to another cave.” Gunner’s suggestion was met with nods of agreement from the others.
“Can I take some of the treasure?” Lorcan asked as he stood up with the chest in his arms.
“It’s yours to do with as you wish,” Shannon said. “Within reason.”
Lorcan chuckled, his mood light now that he’d found the source of his anguish. Just knowing the treasure was here and existed seemed to have lifted a weight off his shoulders.
Similar to how the weight lifted off our shoulders when we found our mate, his bear said.
Very true. It’s like finding a part of yourself you never knew was missing. He reached out and touched his mate, his hand resting on her shoulder so lightly she would hardly feel it, but she turned and looked at him with a fire in her eyes brighter than any dragon fire.
“Thank you so much,” she said and turned away from the treasure to hug him.
He folded her into his arms as the other Silverback Saviors began clearing their equipment away. “I’d do anything for you and Lorcan.”
“He’s happy, isn’t he?” Shannon half-turned to watch her son as he walked around the edge of the treasure, picking out odd trinkets which he placed in his chest.
“He is.” Jason sighed. “And soon we will all be. For good. Forever.”
“I like your confidence, bear shifter.” She kissed his cheek and then pulled away from him, leaving her son to sort through his treasure while she went and helped haul the equipment out of the cave.
Jason watched Lorcan for a second or two. He was like a child on the beach collecting seashells carried in by the tide. There was an innocence to the way he searched through the treasure and picked out the pieces that he liked without thinking of their value. As Lorcan sorted through the treasure, he picked up various gems, which he held in his hand for a moment before he either placed them in his chest or threw them back on the pile.
With a crooked smile, he turned away, but Lorcan called him back.
“Jason.” Lorcan waved his hand and beckoned to his mom’s mate. “Come here.”
Now he’s ordering us around? his bear said hotly. The effects of being deep in the cave were causing his bear some anxiety.
“What’s up?” Jason asked.
Perhaps he wants us to carry the chest down the mountain for him? His bear grunted in disgust.
“I wanted to show you this.” Lorcan held something in his hand and Jason’s curiosity got the better of him.
Carefully walking around the treasure, he joined Lorcan on the far side of the hoard. Lorcan was examining a sapphire necklace and matching bracelet but he quickly tossed it back onto the pile as Jason reached him. “What have you got there?”
“It’s a ring.” Lorcan opened his hand and there in his palm was a beautiful diamond and emerald ring.
“It’s beautiful. And worth a small fortune on its own.” Jason picked it up carefully and examined it. “The diamonds were masterfully cut, and the emerald is flawless.”
“I want you to have it. For my mom.” Lorcan blushed. “Unless you already have a ring to give my mom.”
“A ring to give your mom.” Jason’s forehead creased as he looked up from the ring. “Oh.” He suddenly caught on to what Lorcan was offering.
“Sorry. I just thought...” Lorcan shuffled uneasily. “I wasn’t flaunting...”
“Hey, I know.” Jason slipped his arm around the young man’s shoulders. “It’s more than I could ever afford. And your mom does deserve the best.” He looked down at the ring, his pride telling him to give the ring back to Lorcan so that he could buy his mate a ring with his own money, but his heart telling him this meant a lot to Lorcan. The gesture of offering a portion of his treasure, no matter how small, so that Jason could propose to Shannon was enormous.
“I think she’d really like it,” Lorcan waved his hand over the treasure. “Or pick something else. Anything you want.”
“No, I think this is perfect. The emerald will remind her of you.” He grinned. “Does that mean I have your blessing to ask your mom to marry me?”
“Do you need my blessing?” Lorcan asked lightly.
“Nope, but I would like to know you are happy about it.” Jason pocketed the ring safely before waiting for Lorcan’s answer.
“I understand what a mate is to a shifter. I know you’ll look after her and protect her.” He sighed as he looked at the treasure. “And because of me, she might need protecting.”
“None of this is your fault,” Jason told him kindly. “Those men, the ones who call themselves dragon hunters, picked this fight. You had no idea about any of this. You couldn’t know there was a ton of treasure hidden under a mountain. And even if you did, it’s yours, not theirs.”
“You’re right. But I still feel bad for bringing this down on you and your friends.”
“Or you could take the credit for bringing your mom to Bear Creek. Because if you hadn’t, we’d have never met. I would have spent my life a lonely old man.” Jason cocked his head on one side. “I need to go and help the others. Are you coming?”
“Yes.” Lorcan tucked the small chest under his arm and followed Jason across the wide cave floor to the tunnel where Killian and Patrick were gathering up the last of the tools to take back through.
“Here, I’ll take that.” Lorcan leaned forward and picked up a pickaxe and a shovel which he carried in his free hand.
“He’s a good kid,” Gunner said as Lorcan went back along the tunnel, leaving the Silverback Saviors alone.
“He is,” Jason agreed. “I’m a lucky man.”
“We’re all lucky,” Killian said. “And once this is over, we should celebrate that. A simple life with the people we love. What more could we ask for?”
“A huge pile of treasure!” Patrick joked.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Gunner said. “It was worth digging all night just to get a look at it.”
“We have been digging all night.” Jason looked at his watch. “It’ll soon be morning, we need to get a move on.”
“Okay, this is the last of the gear and then we can fill in the entrance to the tunnel,” Gunner told them.
“Fill it in?” Jason asked.
“Just enough to hide it from anyone who might come inside the main outer cave.” Gunner nodded toward the exit. “We don’t know who might be out there watching.”
“Good thinking. Although, it seems wrong to fill it back in after all of the work we put in clearing it and opening it up.” Jason could think of no better way to cover the entrance to the treasure cave.
“We can
do it,” Killian offered. “Why don’t you go on and get Shannon and Lorcan home? They need some sleep.”
“I can’t leave you to finish up here,” Jason told them.
“Yes, you can. Now go.” Killian pointed to the tunnel. “Get them home safely. We’ll go and grab a couple of hours of sleep and then we’ll figure out how to deal with the dragon hunters.”
Jason left his friends and went back along the tunnel. Shannon and Lorcan were repacking the backpacks with the equipment. His mate looked exhausted, her features pale and pinched, but she didn’t stop as Jason joined them. “The others will finish up here. We need to get some sleep so we’re ready for when your dad arrives.”
“For once, I’m not going to argue.” Shannon stood up, her legs were wobbly as tiredness took a firm hold. When she returned from her dragon ride, her adrenaline had lifted her energy levels but now she looked as though she was about to crash.
“It’s still dark outside. There’s time for Lorcan to shift and carry you back to the truck. I won’t be far behind you.” He grabbed her backpack and his own and hefted them onto his shoulder.
“I can carry you both,” Lorcan insisted.
“Are you sure? You need to build up the strength in your wings,” Jason warned him.
“I can do it. It’s not far, and it’s downhill so I can glide most of the way.” He locked eyes with Jason. “I can do it.”
“Then let’s do it.” Jason hitched the packs higher on his shoulder and then put his hand under Shannon’s elbow and helped her to the cave entrance.
“Take care, we’ll see you later,” Gunner waved as he and Patrick packed the gear into the backpacks while Killian began walling the cave back up.
“See you later.” Jason raised his hand and then went outside, happy to be out of the cave. Even happier at the prospect of a dragon ride. There was nothing as thrilling as sitting on the back of a flying creature as the wind rushed at your face and the world below melted away.
They left the cave and scrambled down into the valley below. Shannon stumbled, her legs unable to support her as her body began to shut down. As Lorcan led them to an area big enough for him to shift, Jason slung his backpack down on the ground and pulled the flap open. Taking out the Thermos, he unscrewed the lid and poured a small cup of coffee for Shannon.
“You’re a lifesaver,” she mumbled as she put the cup to her lips. “I slept in the cave before Lorcan came, but I’m still exhausted.”
As she drank, Jason sensed Lorcan beginning to shift. The air filled with static electricity before the young man disappeared from this world. There was a long worrying moment when Jason thought they’d lost him, but then the large hulking shape of the dragon appeared, filling the valley with his huge body. “Come on, let’s get you on Lorcan’s back.”
Shannon downed the rest of her coffee in one gulp and handed the small cup back to Jason, who replaced it on the Thermos before shoving it quickly into his pack. Once the flap was secure, he slung it over his shoulder and helped Shannon to her feet. The coffee had worked its magic, although the effects would be short-lived. Shannon needed a good long sleep and some food before they tackled the dragon hunters.
Lorcan’s dragon dropped his leg so that they could both clamber onto his back. As Shannon scrambled onboard, Jason dragged the packs up and put them over one of Lorcan’s spines, before he seated himself behind his mate. When they were both secure, Lorcan dipped down, bracing for takeoff, Jason wrapped his arms around Shannon and waited for the explosion of power as the dragon leaped into the air. With a rapid downbeat of his wings, Lorcan took them high enough to clear the edge of the valley, before he banked right and stretched out his wings. If the young dragon shifter was struggling with the extra weight on his back, he didn’t show any signs as they glided on silent wings, barely clearing the treetops as they headed toward their ride down from the mountains.
Fiona and Harlan sure seem to have given Lorcan a crash course on flying, his bear said as they hugged the contours of the mountain. They would be hidden from anyone who might be below them, but as Jason stretched out his senses, he couldn’t locate anyone other than his friends who had left the cave and were on their way down the mountain with the first of the packs of equipment. His love and appreciation for his friends surged through him as the dragon came in to land next to the trucks. If they worked together, Jason was certain they could end this.
Whether it would be without taking a life, he had no idea. All he knew was that if that was how things worked out, it would be no one’s fault other than the dragon hunters.
Chapter Twenty-Four - Shannon
Opening her eyes, it took a moment for Shannon to figure out where exactly she was. Her hotel room. How did she get here?
Lifting her head, she looked around the room, only her dusty clothes neatly folded over a chair told her the events of yesterday hadn’t been a dream. Which meant her son was a dragon. A dragon with a huge pile of treasure. Certainly enough to use to bargain for her father’s life if necessary. However, as she recalled the rapt expression on her son’s face when he sorted through the treasure, she was determined no one else was going to get their hands on any of it. Not through blackmail at least. What Lorcan chose to do with his treasure was his business and his alone.
“Morning, Mom.” Lorcan was seated in the small sitting area of their hotel room as she padded out of her bedroom on bare feet.
“Morning, you’re up early.” Normally Lorcan was a devil at lying in bed for as long as absolutely possible, even if that meant he had to rush around to get to school on time.
“Are you complaining?” he asked.
“Not at all. I like this new you.” She glanced at her watch. “We missed breakfast.”
“That’s okay, Jason invited us over to his place for food. I think we’re drawing up a battle plan.” Lorcan was on his feet and striding toward the door before Shannon had a chance to respond.
“A battle plan?” Shannon grabbed her purse as she rushed after Lorcan, only when they were in the elevator did she realize she hadn’t put on makeup and it was too late to go back to the room.
“Yes. So we’re ready for the dragon hunters.” Lorcan leaned back against the side of the elevator and Shannon closed her eyes, trying to let her brain catch up with the events of yesterday.
“We don’t even know if they are coming here.” Her brain was foggy, and she could use some nice strong coffee to help clear it.
“Maybe not today but we all know it’s just putting off the inevitable.” He pushed himself away from the side of the elevator as they reached the hotel lobby. He looked so grown up, as if Shannon had been asleep for years, not just a few hours.
Shannon reached in her purse for her phone and took it out. There were no new messages. Today would be a waiting game. When her dad told her he was close, she would tell him to meet them at the sawmill and all the people Jason had enlisted to help would take their positions and wait. None of them knew if they would be called on to fight or if they would simply witness a family reunion. She brushed her hand across her eyes. She’d never wanted to see her dad so much, she longed to talk to him, she needed his wisdom.
With Lorcan’s first shift, their responsibilities had changed, and she longed to talk it over with her father, the person who had known Lorcan all of his life. The dragons might know about dragons, and Jason might know about shifters, but only Shannon and her dad knew the real Lorcan.
“Mom.” Lorcan touched her arm gently and she jumped as if he’d woken her from a deep sleep.
“Coming.” She needed coffee and food. As she stumbled out of the elevator, it was as if their roles had been reversed and she was the child and Lorcan was the adult. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He might be a mighty dragon shifter now, capable of flying all over the world, but he was still her son. Although his flying capabilities might make grounding him in the future a little difficult.
She gave a brief wave to the person on duty in reception before th
ey exited the hotel. The cool, fresh mountain air hit her, and she inhaled deeply. Her senses sharpened as the mussiness in her brain cleared. Just like the breeze sweeps the clouds away from the mountain peaks, the mountain air cleared her head and brought their predicament into focus. Grabbing her car keys from her purse, she led Lorcan to her car and they quickly got inside, a sense of urgency building as she started the engine and drove out of town.
“Have you spoken to Jason today?” Shannon asked, wanting to be up to speed with everything that had happened.
“Yes, he called this morning.” Lorcan waved his cell phone at her. “I gave him my cell number last night after he’d carried you to your room.”
“He carried me?” Shannon searched her memory. Lorcan must be telling the truth since she had absolutely no memory of anything past getting in Jason’s truck after the dragon ride down the mountain.
“He likes you a lot.”
“And I like him a lot.” She glanced sideways at her son as she turned onto the road leading to The Happy Bear Club. “Are we going to have a mother-son talk?”
Lorcan wrinkled his nose. “No. I just wanted to say I was happy for you. I am happy for you.”
“Thanks.” She took another look at her son. “How do you feel this morning?”
“You mean, how do I feel now that I can shift into a dragon and fly?” Lorcan’s face lit up with wonder like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Yeah, that would be it. Along with finding your treasure.” She cocked her head to one side. “Not exactly an average day in the life of a teenager.”
“There’s nothing average about it at all,” Lorcan agreed. “It’s the most incredible thing in the world.” He ducked his head and looked out of the window. “I can fly all over the mountains, I can see things other people never get to see. Vast lakes hidden by tall cliffs. Valleys cut off from the trails that crisscross the mountainside.”
“You like it then?” Shannon laughed as he grinned.
“I do.” His expression became serious. “And how do you feel about it?”
“Me?” She paused for a moment. How did she feel about this change in her son? “I’m happy for you. Since you are happy. And I’ll always be there for you in exactly the same way because you are and always will be, first and foremost, my son.”
Jason - Silverback Redemption Page 18