“Let’s go.” Jason pulled Shannon toward his truck and Lorcan followed with Nigel stumbling along behind. “Mac, can you call Fiona? And also let Patrick know what’s going on. Maybe they could meet back at the bar in case we need them later.”
“I’ll call him and fill him in on what’s happened.” Mac waved his hand as he got his phone out of his pocket. “Let me know what happens and if you need us.”
“Will do,” Jason called as he let go of Shannon’s hand and climbed inside the truck.
“Thanks for your help, Mac!” Shannon called as she shut the truck door.
Jason turned the key in the ignition and Mac’s reply was lost as he revved the engine and drove away from the sawmill. The race was on to get to the treasure before the dragon hunter.
Or is he simply a dragon? Jason’s bear asked.
A dragon who likes to steal the treasure of other dragons? Jason asked.
When we catch him, we can ask him, his bear replied.
The question neither of them could answer was how do you catch a dragon without getting your fur singed?
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Shannon
“It’s good to have you with us, Dad.” Shannon half-turned in her seat as Jason steered his truck out of the sawmill and drove along the road, heading toward the mountains.
“I wish I’d been more help.” Nigel sighed. “I also wish I hadn’t brought that dragon shifter to town. He must have been following me all along, but I have no idea how. I was so careful.”
“Shifters have enhanced senses,” Jason told Nigel. “I think maybe this dragon shifter might have more enhanced senses than the rest of us put together.”
“I walked for miles over open terrain to reach the village where I first met Letitia. I don’t see how he could have followed me without being seen. I used to stop periodically and scan the area with my binoculars.” Nigel ground his teeth together and grunted. “I was so damn careful.”
“When we find him, we can ask him,” Lorcan said confidently.
“If we find him,” Shannon reminded her son. “We don’t know for sure he’s heading up the mountain to the treasure. For all we know, he might have left town and gone somewhere else entirely. Perhaps he thought he was outnumbered because there were so many of us.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. If that were true, the dragon hunter might come for Lorcan at any time in the future. They could not be permanently prepared for him to reappear, which left them vulnerable. Even if Lorcan would never admit he was vulnerable.
“Where else would he go?” Lorcan asked. “He came here for the treasure. He followed Grandpa for miles over open country to find it, he’s hardly going to just walk away now, is he?”
“No, I don’t suppose he will.” Shannon glanced out of the window and groaned inwardly. “To the cave we go!”
Next to her, Jason chuckled. “Do you want me to carry you this time?”
She shook her head. “I can manage. Although, I really thought I was going to have a day off from climbing the mountain.”
“You’re in good company. I don’t think any of us planned to go up the mountain today. At least not on foot.” Jason glanced in the rearview mirror. “And your dad is in for a surprise when we reach the cave.”
“I like surprises,” Nigel said. “And I’ve already had a few since I arrived in town and I’ve only been here for an hour or so. Dragon shifters and treasure. I never did truly believe in them until now. I wanted to believe, but I thought it was a hoax.”
“Mom also has a surprise for you,” Lorcan told his grandpa.
Shannon sat up straight in her seat and swung her head around to face her son. “Do I?”
“Yeah.” Lorcan rolled his eyes. “You and Jason being mates.”
“Mates?” Nigel asked. “Like friends?” He sounded confused but Lorcan was only too happy to elaborate.
“No, it’s a shifter thing.” Lorcan grinned mischievously. “There’s kissing. A lot of kissing.”
“Shannon?” Nigel asked his daughter in surprise. “You and Jason are going out?”
“Yes,” Shannon admitted, her cheeks flushing pink while she clasped her hands together in her lap to prevent herself from turning around and throttling her son.
“More than going out,” Lorcan continued. “They are fated mates and are supposed to be together forever.”
“Lorcan,” Shannon warned her son. “This isn’t what we should be focusing on right now.”
“Yes, it is,” her father replied. “You’ve spent so many years thinking of others. Nursing your mom, putting up with your dad, and raising your son. It’s time you did something for you.” Nigel leaned forward and tapped Jason on the shoulder. “I hope you realize what a lucky man you are.”
“I do.” Jason reached for Shannon’s hand. “I really do.”
“Then that’s good enough for me,” Nigel said firmly. “And I think you might just be good enough for my daughter.”
“I intend to be.” Jason’s words caught in his throat as he looked sideways at Shannon. “I want to be the best husband to Shannon.”
“Oh, I have something for you. I found it while I was hiking across the mountains. It seems as if fate might have put this in my path so I could give it to you.” Nigel dug in his pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch Shannon recognized from when he used to go out on his adventures, He’d always come home with an unusual stone or something else he’d found that caught his eye. “It was just lying on the ground. There was no one else around for miles. I suppose I should have handed it in at the nearest town…”
“Grandpa.” Lorcan reached for the ring as soon as Nigel pulled it out of the pouch. “This belongs with my treasure.”
The car veered slightly to the left as Jason looked over his shoulder. “It matches the necklace and bracelet you found in the cave.”
Lorcan held it in his hand and frowned. “But it doesn’t have the same pull as the rest of my treasure. It doesn’t sing to me. The bracelet and necklace didn’t either.”
“What does that mean?” Shannon asked, although she had an idea. But it didn’t make sense. No sense at all.
“What if this belonged to the other dragon? The one who said he was a dragon hunter. He said he wanted what was his. Maybe this is it.” Jason glanced in the rearview mirror, his eyes locked on Lorcan’s. “How much of that treasure didn’t sing to you?”
Lorcan shrugged. “I don’t really know. I didn’t go through it all and as a whole, it all felt the same, it was only when I picked up individual pieces that they felt different. But I thought it must have been because shifting is so new to me. And I didn’t want the others to think I was faulty.”
“Faulty?” Jason frowned at Lorcan. “They’d never think that.”
Lorcan shrugged. “I was too embarrassed to say.”
“Some of the treasure belongs to the other dragon.” Shannon’s blood ran cold. “That’s why he’s here. That’s why he came to find you.”
“Do you think…” Lorcan didn’t finish his sentence.
“Do I think he’s your father?” Shannon asked, her heart breaking for her son.
“Is it possible?” Lorcan whispered.
“I don’t think so.” Jason quickly put an end to Lorcan’s hope of finally meeting his father. “A shifter covets their children above all else. I know Fiona and Harlan would give up everything they have for their son.”
“But he must have known your father,” Shannon tried to soothe Lorcan. “For his treasure to be mixed up with yours, they must have been friends.”
“Or enemies,” Nigel muttered.
“Do you think my father stole the treasure?” Lorcan asked hotly. “What did he say about a debt?”
“We can speculate all day, but the only way we’re going to get any answers is if we talk to him.” Shannon opened the truck door as Jason parked the truck on the side of the road. “I don’t have my pack.” Luckily, she’d worn her hiking boots and clothes suitable for climbing the trails to the ca
ve, but she had no supplies.
“I’ve got mine. We’ll survive.” Jason got out of the truck and fetched his pack from the back. “Let’s get going.”
“I could fly. With all of you on my back,” Lorcan stood with his feet rooted to the spot and a look of defiance on his face.
“No, it’s too light out still,” Jason told him.
“No one is around. You can use your senses to check that there is no one in the vicinity to see me.” Lorcan swept his hand around in an arc. “There’s no one here.”
“No!” Jason shook his head as he pulled the backpack onto his shoulders.
“Why?” Lorcan asked. “I can keep low to the trees and skim across the cliffs.”
“It’s too risky,” Jason explained. As Lorcan’s expression hardened, Jason’s softened. “This doesn’t just affect you, Lorcan. This is about every other dragon in Bear Creek and every other dragon shifter in the world. It only takes one sighting to be reported to the news and all of their lives and yours will be ruined. I don’t think any of us want that on our conscience.”
Lorcan sighed and looked toward the valley where his treasure was hidden, guarded by a group of dragon shifters. “I suppose you have a point.”
“It won’t take long to get up there,” Shannon told Lorcan. “And I doubt the other dragon will get there first, and even if he did, Fiona and Harlan won’t let him take what’s yours.”
“But he will take what’s his, won’t he?” Lorcan asked.
“I think that’s fair, don’t you? If it’s really his?” Shannon asked her son. “You know how you feel about your treasure, how do you think he feels about his?”
“Like there’s a part of himself missing. And has been for years,” Lorcan replied. His unique understanding of how a dragon shifter felt about his treasure made it easier to understand the strange behavior of the other dragon shifter. But it didn’t excuse his threats. Dragon shifter or not, when she came face to face with him, Shannon intended to tear a strip off him.
That thought kept her going as they made their way up the damn mountain for the hundredth time. That’s what it felt like at least as her legs ached with each step. The only good thing about forgetting her pack was not having to carry it, and her back thanked her, even if she longed for an energy bar to give her a sugar boost.
“So, you have a man in your life,” her father said quietly as they neared the lower end of the valley. The group had walked in relative silence up until now, each of them lost in thought.
“I do.” She raised her eyes from the ground and looked at her mate. “I certainly wasn’t looking for a man. You know that. But he just appeared and that was it. Sunshine and rainbows.”
Nigel chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day.” He slipped his hand over her shoulders and gave her a brief, unexpected hug. “But I’m certainly glad you’ve proved me wrong.”
“You’ve proved me wrong over the last thirteen years.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You were there for Lorcan. You know I always kept expecting you to flake out on us and go off on one of your adventures.”
Nigel let go of his daughter as a pained expression crossed his face. “At first it was guilt. I know I wasn’t there for you and I desperately wanted to make amends. But then things changed. We became a family. I finally let go of my past.”
“And you were willing to risk everything to keep Lorcan safe when the dragon hunter came to the door.” She nudged him with her elbow. “That was brave.”
“Any father or grandfather would have done the same thing.” He looked at the large pile of fallen trees blocking the valley in front of them. “Would now be a good time to hitch a ride on a dragon?”
“Come on. It’s easy. Believe me, I know. I’ve climbed this pile of tree trunks so many times I think I could do it in my sleep.” Shannon followed Jason as he began to climb, keeping a watchful eye on her father and her son.
“I can’t sense him,” Jason told her as they crested the heap of tree trunks and climbed down the other side.
“Do you think he’ll come here when we’re all here?” Shannon asked as she paused for breath.
“I don’t know. I have no idea how a dragon’s mind works.” Jason’s eyes became unfocused as he pushed his senses further. “There’s someone.” He tilted his head back and forth as if he were trying to pick up a signal on an antenna. “They’re coming this way. But by a different route.”
“Then we’d better get to the cave and be ready for him.” Shannon hooked her leg over the highest tree trunk and clambered down the other side. Ten minutes later, the small group had arrived at the entrance of the cave where they were met by Fiona and Harlan.
“The girls have gone to scout the area,” Harlan told them.
“We sensed someone coming this way. They’ve gone to see if it’s our dragon shifter.” Fiona shook her head. “Every time we think we’ve found the last dragon shifter, another appears.”
“You know Mac had a dragon shifter working for him a few years back. His name was Rohm,” Jason told Fiona and was met with a surprised expression.
“He never did say.” Her brow furrowed. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Rohm asked the guys from the sawmill to keep his secret. They did.” Jason shrugged. “Just the same as we keep your secret.”
“That doesn’t include keeping a secret from me,” Fiona said tartly. “Especially not one concerning dragons.”
“So, what happens when this dragon shifter arrives?” Harlan quickly changed the subject.
“I’ve been giving it some thought,” Shannon swallowed nervously. “I think we should face him alone.”
“What?” Fiona asked hotly and Shannon swore the air shimmered around her and smoke came from her ears. Was this a thing dragon shifters did when they weren’t happy?
“Shannon is right.” Jason stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with his mate. “We think some of the treasure in the cave belongs to him. For whatever reason, it’s been buried here for years and he was unable to locate it.”
“So, he’s not a bad guy?” Harlan sounded relieved. “The thought of having to do battle with one of our own does not sit well with me.”
“We don’t know that for sure. He just said there was a debt to pay.” Shannon sure wanted to know what that debt was and how it involved Lorcan.
“A debt?” Fiona asked. “Interesting.”
“Interesting is not exactly the word I’d use.” Shannon looked from Harlan to Fiona and back again. “Until this is resolved I’d hate for any of you to be put in danger because of your connection to us. I’d also hate for him to try to extort your treasure from you. Any of you.”
“Shannon is right,” Harlan placed a protective arm around his mate’s shoulder. “If this is personal between Lorcan and this other dragon, us being here might be seen as confrontational. He might think we’re here to guard the treasure and act first and ask questions later.”
“Confrontational?” Fiona asked. “We’re here for a friend.”
“A friend who can take care of himself,” Harlan insisted. He arched an eyebrow at Fiona and his eyes widened.
Fiona sighed. “We’ll move down the valley, out of reach of his senses. But if we see dragon fire, we’ll be back.”
“Good to know.” Shannon let go of her pent-up breath.
“Ruby and Sapphi are out there. We’ll try to call them, but we might not have a signal. It’s sketchy in the mountains.” Harlan and Fiona headed down the valley.
“But we told them to keep their distance and not engage the enemy,” Fiona added.
“He might not be the enemy,” Lorcan replied.
“Let’s hope not.” Harlan waved and then began climbing the pile of stones, leaving Shannon alone with her family and the prospect of meeting a dragon shifter with a grudge.
“How far out is he now?” Shannon asked Jason.
“He’s at the head of the valley. He’s moving fast.” Jason tilted his head to one side.
“Ruby and Sapphi are close behind but he’s getting away from them.”
“So not only can he turn into a dragon, but he has super speed,” Nigel shuddered. “I’m so glad he decided to follow me and not attack me, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“He’s close.” Lorcan stepped away from his mom and walked further up the valley. The air around him shimmered in the same way it had when Fiona was angry. Was this how Lorcan would behave from now on if threatened? School life might get more than a little interesting if he couldn’t control his shift.
“Take a deep breath.” Jason strode over to Lorcan and stood by his side. “Breathe and let go of your pent-up anger.”
“He wants my treasure.” Lorcan’s eyes flashed green as his fists curled into tight balls.
“No, he wants his own treasure.” Jason’s calm voice did nothing to help Lorcan’s mood.
“How do I know he doesn’t want it all?” Lorcan screwed his fists into tight balls.
“We don’t.” Shannon stepped closer to her son, refusing to be afraid of him. “But we need to speak to him and get this resolved so we can all live alongside each other.”
“He doesn’t belong here in Bear Creek,” Lorcan replied.
“Neither do we. Not really,” she reminded Lorcan.
Movement caught her eye and she switched her attention to the shimmering shadow that seemed to float down the valley like a cloud across the sun. The dragon shifter was here. He was so close she didn’t need shifter senses to tell her he was approaching the cave.
“Stop.” Jason stepped forward, his arm outstretched to prevent Lorcan from rushing forward. “Both of you need to stop.”
The shadow stopped moving and as it did, his features became clearer. This was the dragon hunter. The man who had come to her house and set the events of the last couple of weeks in motion. The man who had confronted them only a short time ago at the sawmill.
Here on the mountain, those events were about to come to a close. Whether peacefully, or with violence, she had no idea as the two dragon shifters faced each other. Shannon wanted to yell at them that no treasure was worth fighting over. But she wasn’t a dragon. She would never experience the call of a hoard of gold and jewels.
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