Then reality set in.
The dragons were all killed because Daegan had not been there to fight alongside them.
Garwyli had a gift of bringing cheer into everyone's life and was trying to do that for Daegan, but some things had to be accepted.
"Weren't you around durin' the great dragon slaughters?" Daegan asked, bitter every time he thought of how he could have saved his father and their allies if he had not walked into Maeve's trap and ended up a throne.
"Yes, I was around. It was a dark time for all of us." Garwyli sighed with great sadness. "That was one reason I went away for a while, to find peace. But here I am today, talkin' to you when we both should not be. It is a puzzle of sorts to work out. But you can't solve a puzzle unless you believe an answer can be found."
Those words eating at Daegan pushed him to ask this so he could convince himself to let it go and get back to caring for his people. "One more thing, Garwyli. Did you hear of the battle we fought in the human world six weeks ago to keep Kizira's body from the Medb?"
"Tristan did inform me. He was quite proud to shift into his gryphon form to fight at your side."
"I was proud of him as well. He's turnin' out to be an excellent Ri Dtus. I couldn't ask for a better second in command. When we slew our enemies, we discovered the warriors had Belador abilities. They were Laochra Fola."
That surprised Garwyli. "Weren't those the warriors Belatucadros kept for himself after endowin' Beladors with powers?"
"Yes, but when we found them in Atlanta, they were being led by Lorwerth, a bastard brother to my father. He was condemned to live in the Anwynn underworld for eternity, but someone freed him. I did not find out who negotiated his freedom, but as Lorwerth died he said somethin' about 'you don't even know about the others.' I pressed him for more, but he only said blood kin and she." Daegan felt ridiculous for clinging to the words of a man like Lorwerth, but he wanted a straight answer. "A moment ago you challenged me to think beyond myself when I dismissed the possibility of my sisters or any other dragon being alive. Please, no puzzles or cryptic words. Do you think there could truly be more ... dragons?"
Pondering a moment, Garwyli said, "You must always realize that in our world of nonhumans, anythin' is possible. Before you returned, no one believed dragons still existed. The best answer I can give you is that it's possible."
Daegan was a fool to wish for this, but he couldn't stop wondering. The only way he could mate would be with one who possessed dragon blood.
Chapter 10
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Realm of Tuatha De Danann
Dakkar felt like whistling, but Macha had been in a foul mood for more than a month and hearing anyone happy around her set the goddess off.
He hoped what he had to report would change her mood, though nothing short of handing her the head of that dragon was going to please her. Her frame of mind had gone so far downhill, he'd failed to tease her out of it with hours of making love. She was an insatiable wench, but without passion these days.
A weaker man would take that to heart and feel a failure, but he knew his ability with a naked woman.
It mattered not. He would keep Macha satisfied and partnering with him so that when he handed her the dragon and Treoir, she would in turn give him what he needed to reach his goal. One she need not know of yet.
"How's the most underappreciated goddess feeling today?" he asked as he strolled in.
Macha sat neck-deep in a marble tub, which required two steps up to reach the platform holding it. She soaked in a bath filled with ... he sniffed. Champagne and lilac. Interesting mixture and he had no doubt it was the finest champagne to be had.
She adjusted her cloud of hair the color of a deep-red sunset, placing the thick mass against a plush, silk pillow that hummed a melodic tune. He loved it when her green eyes turned dark as he made love to her. She had a face that challenged the word perfection and lips fit for a goddess, but he was the man who owned her in the sack.
Eyeing him with a pout, she said, "I am bored beyond belief. I want my island back."
"I know, love." He heard the same refrain every single day, which was why he spent most of his time out in the human world, digging for ways to give her that bloody island and dragon.
He waited for her full attention to say, "I come to you with news."
She arched a perfect eyebrow. "You always have something to tell me, just not what I want to hear."
Undeterred, he stepped to the end of her marble tub and dropped to his knees on a lower step, then reached into the water to lift out a foot, which he began to massage.
She closed her eyes.
He kneaded the muscles and received a sexy sound of pain, but nothing like what he could pull from her with a night of role-playing. When she lifted another foot for him, he continued working on her as he spoke.
"I have been making interesting progress." No overt reaction, so he went on. "I have good news and not-so-good news."
Muscles in her foot tensed.
"There is no benefit to having a meltdown, Macha."
She opened her eyes to glare at him. "I will do as I please here."
"We all know that, but your staff is weary from your constantly putting them in a panic."
Without any acknowledgment of his point, she said, "What is your news?"
"The Beladors have withdrawn a large percentage of their force from VIPER, leaving the coalition in a lurch."
She lifted her head and the pillow whined. Macha said, "Shh!" silencing the pillow. She asked Dakkar, "Why did the Beladors do that?"
"Daegan claimed some of the Belador families were losing children to the Medb. Evidently Sen didn't see that as his problem. He threatened the Beladors with repercussions, but the good news in all this is that VIPER needs agents who can handle deadly preternatural situations. For some reason, trolls are coming into Atlanta and helping the Medb steal children."
Sitting quietly as sparkling bubbles floated around her glorious breasts, Macha said, "What is Maeve after?"
"My best guess is she's come up with some new plan for capturing the dragon."
"No. I want his head!"
Water sizzled and sparked. Steam rose from her churning energy.
Dakkar did not want to be burned, which would happen if that water surged and hit him. He could heal, but he'd just as soon pass on being a boiled mage.
"Macha, please."
She looked around, just noticing the temperature of her bath and stared at it until the happy champagne returned. She leaned back on the pillow, which sighed and began humming again.
Dakkar dried his hands and stood. "Due to the Beladors pulling out of VIPER, Sen asked if I could help. I was authorized to bring in as many bounty hunters as necessary to cover the assignments. I said I'd do it if my people could stay once I brought them in. He agreed. This gives me an inside line on everything that comes up and an edge as we move forward."
Macha allowed a contented smile. "That is good news."
"Quite a bit of good news, right?"
"Yes."
"It will balance out the not-so-good news that Veronika has escaped."
Macha shouted, "No! How could they let that happen?"
"My words exactly. I have no idea how she got out, because Sen forbade us talking about it. He said he hopes she goes after the Beladors and the Sterling witch first. If they don't stop her, then he'll come up with an attack plan."
"He's a moron."
"Possibly, but I like the way he's thinking. I'm all for letting someone else deal with her. In the meantime, you need to stay as far from the human world as you can."
"This is terrible."
He didn't see the downside. "Why?"
"Are you sure Maeve and Cathbad are behind terrorizing the Beladors?"
"That's the logical conclusion since the trolls are being lured in with the offer of Noirre majik. "
Macha fisted the hand draped on the edge of her tub. "If that bitch Maeve captures Daegan, I will lose my
chance to kill him and take all that he has stolen from me."
"I don't know about that, Macha. Veronika may get to Daegan before anyone else."
"She probably doesn't know a dragon exists. He's a threat to deities. That means he's a threat to her as well."
"My people have been sending me any intel they can scrounge from VIPER. Word is that Veronika knows a secret the Beladors have been hiding, which has to do with their Maistir."
"Quinn? That fool? He had a fling with Kizira. I don't care if it did happen when they were both young. He allowed an enemy to manipulate him with sex."
Who was Dakkar to criticize someone who used his own tactics? "True, but after placing some of my people strategically to make Sen's life easier, I have learned even more."
Macha grimaced. "Why make that buffoon's life easy?"
"Because Sen is the one person in position to do us the most good. When I had possession of the tomb with Kizira's body--"
"--which you lost."
Dakkar tamped down on his irritation. "That body was merely a means to an end."
"The end being to trap that dragon and kill him."
He deserved an award for patience. "You're getting off topic. If Veronika does not kill Daegan, I will hand you the dragon. All in good time. But when Quinn was searching for Kizira's body, evidently he took the Sterling witch in to see Veronika in her cell."
Macha perked up. "Oh?"
Without changing his expression, Dakkar smiled to himself. "Yes, and when they left, Veronika went into a screaming fit. Since then, she's been singing that she knows his secret. I don't think it's that he had a relationship with Kizira, because everyone from the Tribunal to you to the Medb found out about that, so what else could he be hiding?"
Sounding stumped, Macha muttered, "I have no idea."
"I will know for sure very soon, but I'm going to make an educated guess and say that this secret will put Veronika at odds with Daegan. I've heard Daegan is taking over as Maistir so that Quinn can be gone to handle something personal. That makes me think Veronika is after something Quinn doesn't want her to get her hands on." Dakkar could tell Macha, but he wanted her to reach the same conclusion he had. He asked, "What could Quinn and Kizira have been hiding?"
The goddess sat up quickly.
Champagne rushed over Macha's creamy white skin and damn, what a pair of tits. He almost didn't hear her say, "You think they had a child?"
Dragging his gaze from her incredible body, he said, "If they did, everyone will be after a child with Belador and Medb blood. Think of the potential to manipulate that kind of power from the beginning."
"Daegan would never allow that to happen."
"Exactly, which is why Daegan will be busy hunting for Veronika while Maeve is stalking his ass."
"I hate to admit this, but in a one-on-one battle, he might kill Veronika."
"Yes, with might being the key word if the Medb stay involved."
"What are you going to do?"
"Sen is hiding Veronika's escape from his superiors as long as he can. He called me in to strike a deal for the return of Veronika, which we did. She took down one of my hunters. We found his body in a trunk. I intend to find her, make sure she kills the dragon first, then I'll set my bounty hunters on her."
She lifted a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "What did you ask for?"
"Sen to support me when I tell the Tribunal you deserve the return of Treoir. Those deities will jump at the chance to have you back where you were."
Finally, he earned a smile and the promise of more to come.
Chapter 11
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Atlanta, GA - Storm and Evalle's building
When the doorbell to their building dinged, Evalle left the conference room to open the garage entrance for Lanna and Mother Mattie. Storm had offered to pick them up, but Lanna declined politely, which bothered Evalle only because she knew Lanna was comfortable with Storm.
Why have someone Mother Mattie's age driving through Atlanta traffic when it wasn't necessary?
With a quick check of the monitor inside the garage, which was connected to a camera trained on the entrance, Evalle hit the button to lift the door.
A modest, ten-year-old, blue sedan pulled in.
Mother Mattie climbed out of the passenger side. "I like your building, Evalle."
"Thanks."
Evalle was glad Quinn hadn't been present to see Lanna pop out from the driver's side. "When did you get a driver's license, Lanna?"
Mother Mattie replied instead. "Four days ago. I figured she's eighteen and far more prepared for the world than most of the kids her age. She nailed the test and didn't use her powers to pass, either."
"Really? That's wonderful," Evalle said, sending Lanna a smile. It dawned on her that she had no idea of Lanna's birthday, which reminded Evalle the twin boys had recently turned eighteen. She should ask if they had a birthday celebration when they stayed with Isak's mother.
Evalle had never had a birthday party of her own, but she was sure with a little help she could put together something for Lanna or the boys next time.
Now if only Quinn didn't freak out about Lanna driving.
Lanna smiled. It was still not one of her vibrant, high-wattage smiles of the past, but a sincere one. "I know you worry about Cousin stressing. I will tell him about my driving after tonight. I want calm first."
"About that," Evalle said, trying to figure out how to avoid hurting Lanna's feelings. "Quinn told me in no uncertain terms that we could not involve you in hunting for Phoedra." She prepared for the blast of anger and argument, but it never came.
Lanna looked to Mother Mattie. The elderly witch said, "We'll talk to him."
"Cousin is hardheaded. He will not hear us."
"Then raise your voice, Lanna," a strong female voice ordered.
"Caron!" Lanna's face lit up as she spun toward the street. "You are here."
Everyone turned to where the beautiful Fae woman stood on the sidewalk outside the still-open garage door. Evidently, Lanna had wanted Caron to join them but hadn't expected Mother Mattie's sister to show up.
"Hi, Caron," Evalle called over.
Caron gave Evalle a double take. "Are those eyes real?"
Evalle lifted her fingers then dropped them, realizing she'd taken off her dark sunglasses. "Yep. The shade is Alterant green."
"Nice."
Coming from Caron, that was a huge compliment. Evalle grinned. She stopped short of saying thank you. "Come on in."
Lanna took two steps in Caron's direction. "Yes. You are welcome here. We need your help."
"No, but I appreciate the invitation," Caron said to Evalle then crooked a finger at the suddenly disappointed Lanna. When Lanna reached the sidewalk, Caron said, "What have I been telling you? You are more powerful than pretty much any witch I know, including Mattie and she's tough to top. You're either a mage or sorceress, but it really doesn't matter what you are other than powerful. I've taught you enough to protect yourself, but it's time to start trusting your abilities again."
"Grendal's majik is--"
"No longer a significant concern. Yes, you may have some issues, but even Oskar does not sense Grendal's majik in you anymore, and he's pretty sensitive."
Speaking of Oskar, a grunting-frog-interspersed-with-cricket sound erupted from the back seat of Mattie's car. Evalle glanced over to see Oskar standing on his hind legs, which she knew from experience he could do as long as he chose.
She waved at him.
More excited grunting came from the little guy, then he gently tapped his horn on the window.
Mother Mattie said, "I'll get you, Oskar."
"I understand," Lanna said to Caron in an obedient tone.
"Oh, I know you understand, sweet pea, but I need you to believe," Caron told her. "This is the time to start learning more about your powers. First be sure someone is watching your back ..." Caron's gaze slipped away from Lanna and touched on Evalle, who gave her a hard nod, acknowledgi
ng Lanna would be well protected.
Caron continued telling Lanna, "As long as you're around those you can trust, then push the boundaries and accept that you're going to hit limitations. Don't fight it and don't force it, but don't back away if you feel strong enough to go forward. This is one of those times you don't need me or Mother Mattie."
"Hey, speak for yourself," Mattie warned. "She needs as many witches as we can pull together, me especially."
Caron gave her a don't-screw-with-me-right-now look. "I'm talking about using her powers, Mattie, not needing additional power for the hunt tonight." Returning to Lanna, Caron said, "Just don't go off on your own for a bit. You'll know when you're ready. Don't come up with some half-baked reason for taking a risk. I trust you to be smarter than that. As for tonight, I'm not a witch. My majik would probably interfere. I have located people by calling on the elements, but the elements have to believe I have a vested interest. I have nothing against your cousin, but I also have no vested interest."
Evalle hadn't realized how deeply Caron had tapped her paranormal resources to find Grendal when she saved Lanna. Evalle appreciated all the Fae woman had done for Lanna, but especially Caron's obvious efforts to begin rebuilding the young woman's confidence and self-worth. Those had taken a beating from Grendal's abusive actions when he tried to drain power from Lanna.
Lanna straightened her back and filled her lungs with a deep breath. When she exhaled, she said, "I am strong. I can do this."
Caron gave her a look full of praise. "Attagirl. If Quinn gives you too much trouble, tell him he doesn't want me to come chat with everyone."
Mother Mattie said, "Don't threaten my friends, Caron."
"You know better, Mattie."
Lanna turned to the older witch with a knowing smile. "Caron does not threaten. She makes promise."
"Exactly. Okay, sweet pea. You staying here?" Caron asked.
"Yes." Lanna's voice was getting stronger with each word. "I am at home here. Storm, Evalle and Feenix are family."
Damn. That girl needed to shut up soon before Evalle's eyes started leaking. "We're glad you're back, Lanna." Evalle told Caron, "I know Quinn will want to personally express his gratitude to you and Mother Mattie."
Shaking her head, Caron groused, "You people have got to learn not to ask a Fae for anything and not to thank one."
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