“And you will always be my mom.” He leaned across and kissed her cheek.
“What was that for?” she asked as a wave of love as tall as the highest peaks washed over her.
“For being my mom. For being you.” He settled back in his seat. “Can we drive any faster? I’m starving.”
Shannon shook her head as she laughed. “That’s my boy.” She focused on the road as they drew closer to the club, trying to keep her fears for Lorcan and her father in check.
The road to the club wound around the base of the mountain and as the sun grew warmer and the leaves fluttered in the breeze, she couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place to live. This was where she wanted to make her new home. As a sense of belonging hit her, it was as if this was where she was always meant to be, she’d just gone on a long journey to get here.
“That’s a lot of cars,” Lorcan said as they arrived at the club
“Jason said he’d asked for help. I didn’t realize he’d asked this many people for help.” Shannon’s hand trembled as she reached for the door handle and pulled it open. Stepping out of the car, she counted ten vehicles. “I hope they all know how to keep a secret.”
Lorcan sighed and straightened his jacket. “I hope I don’t disappoint them.”
“You won’t.” She winked at her son. “You are the most impressive dragon I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m the only real dragon you’ve ever seen,” he reminded her.
“I know.” She held out her arm and he ducked under it. “You know I love you and that even though you are a dragon shifter, I still expect hugs and I love yous.”
Lorcan suddenly stopped and wrapped his arms around her so tightly, it was as if he was scared to let her go. “I love you, Mom.”
“It’s going to be okay.” She stroked the back of his head just as she had when he was a baby. She’d held him through every stage of his life, through every scrape he’d gotten himself into and every triumph of success. She wasn’t about to stop holding him now.
“I’m okay.” Lorcan nodded as he took a step back from his mom and inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring as his chest puffed out. He held the breath for a long moment before he let it out in a slow and controlled way.
“Did Fiona and Harlan teach you that?” Shannon asked. “We haven’t had time to talk about what you’ve learned from them.”
“Yes, they taught me how focused breathing can help me control the urge to shift.” He inhaled once more in the same way.
“Do you have the urge to shift now?” Shannon asked, scared that he might shift into his dragon in broad daylight and fly across the town so everyone could see him. Perhaps she also needed to learn to control her breathing and her fear.
“I never liked attention,” he admitted. “Not at school or anything.” He looked at The Happy Bear Club with some trepidation. “If everyone is here because of me, that’s a lot of attention.”
“I’ll be by your side, every step of the way,” Shannon assured him.
Lorcan swallowed nervously, but he nodded and took her hand as they walked resolutely toward the door leading to Jason’s apartment. But before they reached it, the door of the bar swung open and Jason appeared. A rush of relief swept over Shannon as he stepped outside and came across the parking lot to meet them.
“There you both are.” His hair was damp from the shower and he wore fresh clothes that she wanted to rip off his body so she could kiss every inch of his flesh. “We’re in the bar area. There’s coffee and pancakes.”
Shannon coughed and cleared her throat before she spoke, afraid her choked voice would give away her emotions. “I slept in.”
“You needed to sleep.” Jason gave a lopsided smile. “You look...rested.”
“I am.” She nodded. Why was this so awkward? “Thank you for carrying me to bed.”
“You were pretty out of it.” Jason shuffled his feet as if he were on hot coals.
“Wow, remind me not to take relationship advice from either of you,” Lorcan said as he stepped around Jason and headed toward the bar. “Just kiss or something.”
“Don’t you want me to come in with you?” Shannon asked as thoughts of kissing Jason took over her brain and refused to give way.
“I think I’d rather face a roomful of strangers than have to witness this awkwardness.” He swirled his finger around and then winked at Shannon and laughed as he went inside the bar.
“Kids,” Shannon pressed her lips together.
“I think he has a point. We do need to kiss.” Jason stepped closer to her and she inhaled deeply, using Lorcan’s technique to control her nerves.
“I seem to have woken up this morning in an alternate universe where my son has become my teacher.” She slipped her hands over his chest and threaded them around his neck. “I’m just beginning to realize he gives good advice.”
“So, you think we should kiss, too?” Jason circled her waist with his arms.
“I think we should.” She leaned forward and closed her eyes as their lips met.
He tasted of coffee and pancakes as their kiss deepened. His lips moved against hers, his tongue invaded her mouth and she was grateful she’d at least remembered to brush her teeth, even if she had forgotten her makeup. As his hand slipped down over her bottom and he pulled her closer, she felt his hardness press against her hip, and she longed to drag him through the door leading to his apartment and make love to him. But her son needed her. Her father needed her.
But as he cupped her breast in his hand, she realized how much her mate needed her, too.
“We should go inside.” He let her go, his eyes fixed on her lips as he stepped backward. “Because if we don’t go now, I’m going to need to take this further. Much further.”
Shannon nodded, her passion leaving her mute.
Jason held out his hand and she took it, allowing him to lead her to the door going into the club. “There are a few people here to help. Any news?”
Shannon tried to match his businesslike manner, unsure how he could flip a switch on his emotions. But then he was trained for battle and being in control could save his life.
“I haven’t heard anything from my dad.” She took a quick look at her phone in case she’d missed a message from him.
“It’s still early.” Jason placed his hand on the door but before he pushed it open, he said, “We’re meeting here to get an overview of how this is going to work out. Then Mac Winter will take his men back to the sawmill. Once we have everything else arranged here, I’ll join him to make sure we have every angle covered.”
“Then we’ll come, too,” Shannon told him.
“I thought you might say that.” He chewed the inside of his lip. “But I’m not sure if it would be better if Lorcan stayed away from the sawmill.”
“Why? He has his dragon under his control,” Shannon assured Jason.
“That’s not what I’m afraid of.” Jason looked over her shoulder, looking at the mountains for a long moment. “I spoke to Fiona. Apparently, there are different spells the dragon hunters could use to render Lorcan unable to shift. And if he did shift, there are other spells they can use to bind him.”
“So he might lose his ability to shift.” It would break her son to lose the ability to shift when he’d only figured the whole thing out.
“And that would make him vulnerable,” Jason claimed her gaze. “If we can’t protect him then he wouldn’t be able to protect himself.”
“We need to give him the choice,” Shannon told Jason.
“You know what his answer will be.” Jason wasn’t happy and she understood he simply wanted to keep Lorcan safe. But her son would never forgive himself if anything went wrong that he could have put right.
“We have to trust him.” She cupped Jason’s face in her hand. “We have to trust in fate.”
Jason nodded. “As a bear shifter who has found their mate, I can’t argue with that.”
“I just hope I’m right. If anything happened to Lorcan, or hi
s dragon, I don’t think I could forgive myself.” Shannon took another deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
“You need some color in your cheeks.” He stroked her cheek and heat flared across her skin.
“What I need is breakfast.” Her stomach grumbled in agreement.
“Then come inside. Patrick has made coffee and pancakes for everyone. The coffee is hot, and the pancakes are still warm if you are interested.”
“Oh, I’m very interested.” She threaded her fingers through his as Jason opened the door to the bar, and they went inside.
No one looked up as they entered. The people inside were too busy talking as Killian stood with a roughly drawn map on a board propped up on the bar. She searched the room for Lorcan, worried he might have come in through the front door and exited straight out of the back door. However, he was seated next to Patrick and Shane, plus a couple of other teenagers who looked roughly the same age as Lorcan. He looked relaxed as he listened to Killian. It seemed her son might have found new friends.
This had to work out. It would be too cruel to rip the promise of a good life in Bear Creek away from them. But Lorcan’s mother and father had been ripped away from him before he ever had a chance to get to know them. Trusting in fate might not be enough. But trusting in the people in the bar might be.
Chapter Twenty-Five - Jason
After they grabbed some pancakes and coffee from a long table that had been set up along the side of the room, Jason led Shannon to the back of the group of people seated in the bar. Most were from the sawmill, some were from town and then there were the dragons, who had all insisted on being here to help. Despite the very high cost if things went wrong.
When Fiona had warned him of the spells the dragon hunters might use, Jason understood exactly how much they were putting at risk. The spell they feared the most was Ancient Slumber that put dragons into a deep sleep from which they would only be woken by their mate. If the spell were cast on Fiona and Harlan simultaneously, would they ever wake up?
But the threat of the dragon hunters was too much for them as a family. They could not hide away in their house and not help protect Lorcan. So here they were, ready to do whatever it took to take down the dragon hunters.
If they come, his bear said.
If they come. Jason ground his back teeth together and his fists curled into balls. He wanted them to come, he wanted to neutralize the threat to his mate today.
This is going to be overkill if they don’t come and the only person who arrives at the sawmill is Shannon’s father, his bear said.
Then we’ll call it a rehearsal. The dragon hunters want Lorcan’s treasure and if they don’t have Shannon’s father, they will simply demand the treasure instead. When Shannon gets a message from them that they are coming, we’ll set another trap.
Not if they don’t know where Shannon is, his bear mused. If her father really has lost them and there is no trail leading them here, then a fight might be averted.
And what then? Jason asked his bear. Do we really want Shannon and her family looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives? They would have to sever ties with everything and everyone they have ever known.
I suppose you are right. His bear sighed, his heart heavy as he looked around the room. So many people here were people they knew well. People they cared about and the thought of any of them getting hurt, or worse, was almost too much to bear.
“So the plan is to lure the dragon hunters into the sawmill. From there Shannon will speak to them, try to convince them that there are no such things as dragons and get them to leave. If they argue and say dragons are real, then we have Brad ready to take them into custody. He can charge them with threatening behavior and blackmail, or he’ll push for insanity. The desired outcome is for this to end peacefully with no one, not even the dragon hunters, getting hurt.” Killian looked around the room. “Any questions?”
“What if the plan doesn’t work?” Mac Winter asked. “What if they don’t go easily?”
“Then we move to plan B.” Killian looked around the room. “We take them down with minimum fuss. Brad will arrest them and arrange for them to be removed from society.”
“You mean removed from shifter society?” Harlan asked.
“Yes.” Sheriff Brad stood up and spoke to the room. “As some of you may or may not know, there are facilities built to detain shifters and also to detain those who pose a threat to shifters. These dragon hunters pose a lasting threat to dragons. They will, of course, get a fair trial.” A murmur went around the room.
“If they come here to our hometown and threaten dragons and try to steal our treasure, then surely that is proof enough that they are guilty,” Fiona said gravely. “I vote to lock them up and throw away the key!”
Jason smothered a smile. He always did admire Fiona’s passion and blunt words.
“That’s not for us to decide,” Brad insisted. “But make no mistake, the shifters who monitor these situations take their responsibilities very seriously.”
“Let’s go back to dealing with the threat rather than what happens after,” Killian told the room.
“We all know our jobs,” Mac said. “So let’s get going.”
Mac stood up and a half-dozen men stood with him. As they filed out of the bar, they each nodded at Fiona and a couple patted Lorcan on the shoulder. They had a lot of respect for the dragon shifters.
“So, this is it,” Killian said as he came to meet Jason and Shannon. The rest of the people in the room were talking amongst themselves before leaving the bar.
“You’ve done a great job organizing them all,” Shannon complimented.
“Let’s just hope everyone sticks to the plan and it works out.” Jason sighed heavily. “It’s not exactly the way I’d have chosen to meet the father of my mate.”
“I can’t wait to see him.” Shannon’s expression grew troubled as she once more looked at her phone.
“Text him.” Jason arched an eyebrow as she shot him a questioning look. “You should text him and ask him if he’s okay.”
She nodded. “It’s not as if I’m trying to conceal our location, is it?”
“Exactly. As a concerned daughter, you would contact your dad and ask him if he’s okay. Open up a conversation with him and try to figure out if it’s him or the dragon hunters. Or if it’s your father texting but the dragon hunters are holding him captive.” Jason touched her shoulder before he got up from his seat. “We need to know what to expect.”
“I’ll get on it.” She tapped the screen and sent a message to her father while Jason followed Patrick across the room to join the other Silverback Saviors.
“We have quite a collection of people.” Jason glanced around the room. The dragons were huddled together talking quietly, while a few of the other townsfolk were drinking coffee and chatting.
“They all want to help,” Killian told him. “Although we won’t be able to take them all to the sawmill. There are just too many.”
“Can we station them on roads out of town?” Gunner suggested. “They could watch out for any strangers coming into town. They could also watch for Nigel arriving. They could relay to us if he’s alone or being followed. It won’t give us much of a head’s up, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Good idea,” Jason agreed.
“I have a photo of my grandpa,” Lorcan got his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the gallery. “Here.”
Jason took hold of the phone and studied the photo. Shannon’s father had gray, almost white, hair. His face was wrinkled and bronzed as if he’d been out in the weather too long. Shannon shared his nose and mouth, but her eyes must belong to her mom. “Can you send me the photo and I’ll pass it on to the others?”
“Sure.” Lorcan tapped his phone and sent the photo to Jason.
“Thanks.” Jason checked that the photo had come through on his phone. “Do we agree on sending people out to check on the roads?”
“Yes.” Patrick nodded. �
��We could also send out the dragons.”
Jason looked over his shoulder to where Fiona and Harlan were talking to Ruby and Sapphi, their daughters, and Magnus, who was Ruby’s mate. “Send them where?”
“Why don’t you want them at the sawmill?” Lorcan asked.
“We want to convince the dragon hunters that dragons aren’t real. If there’s trouble and one of them shifts then that argument will be useless,” Jason replied. It would also keep them out of harm’s way. Although he would never use that argument to convince the dragons to go into the mountains.
Good plan, his bear agreed.
“They can control themselves.” Lorcan’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Jason. Since his first shift, Lorcan has become more formidable, despite his age. “Are you planning on sending me away?”
Jason’s mouth curled up at the corners. “Yes. But your mom won’t let me.”
Lorcan snorted. “I thought my mom would want me out of the way somewhere safe.”
“She’s worried you won’t forgive yourself if something happens and you aren’t there.” Jason decided it was time to be straight with Lorcan. “We still don’t know if your grandpa is going to arrive alone at the sawmill. We also don’t know if we’ll be able to make the dragon hunters believe dragons aren’t real.” Jason jabbed his finger at Lorcan. “So, I guess you will need to be there so you can prove to them you are just an ordinary boy.”
“Even though I’m not.” Lorcan nodded. “And if we don’t make them believe that and Brad doesn’t succeed in arresting them, I have to decide if I’m going to hand over my treasure or whether we fight.”
“That’s just about it.” Jason stared at the young man, trying to read his thoughts. “There’s a lot for you to consider.”
“I don’t have to consider it,” Lorcan told Jason. “I’ve already decided that if I need to, I will hand over my treasure.” He shot a glance toward the cluster of dragons. “Maybe we should ask them to go elsewhere since they will not like the idea of the dragon hunters getting their hands on my treasure.”
Jason - Silverback Redemption Page 19