Elain watched with her mouth gaping again. Somehow, it was easier to deal with the truth when the three men…eh, dragons, were sitting on the ground in front of her.
This took her sanity to a whole new level of strained.
“Aren’t they neat?” Lina asked. She lifted one hand to shade her eyes from the afternoon sun. “They love coming here because they can fly in the daytime without worrying about being spotted. Our property isn’t this big, and we’re pretty close to the interstate.”
Elain thought of something. She spoke to Brodey, but still stared up at the sky. “Brodey, do you guys have alternate forms, too?”
“Nope. Just wolves. Dragons are actually an older shifter race than wolves. You ready to try learning how to shift?”
She shook her head as she watched Kael do a lazy cartwheel fifty feet over their heads. “Nope.”
Zack chimed in. “Brodey, I think you need to let her settle into this new reality first before trying to teach her about shifting.”
Elain, still gazing skyward, slowly nodded. “Yep.”
“But it’s easy,” Brodey insisted.
“I don’t care,” Elain said, her eyes never leaving the dragons.
“Brod,” Lina gently said, “give her some time. Seriously. Take my advice.”
Brodey grumbled, but he wrapped his arms around Elain’s waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I want to be the one to teach you, babe,” he softly said into her ear.
Now Elain understood why this was so important to him. Not so much what he said as what she felt from him, the protectiveness, the desire to be the one to usher her into this new phase of her life.
She turned in his arms and kissed him. “I promise I’ll let you be the one to do it,” she said. “Right now, Lina’s right. I’m too overwhelmed.”
There’s that damn word again.
She looked up as Jan’s shadow gracefully flowed over and past them. “Way too overwhelmed.”
Chapter Seven
Ain didn’t plan on staying long at the barns after lunch. “I need to go talk to Mark,” he said.
Cail frowned. “Why?”
“Seriously? With everything that’s happened, you ask me that?”
Cail shrugged. “What’s there to tell? Besides, what’s he going to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. Part of me says we need to cancel the wedding and bug out to Maine for good.”
“You don’t mean that, do you?”
“I don’t know what I mean,” Ain said, running his fingers through his hair. “That’s the problem. Right now, I have no idea what to do. That’s why I want to go talk to Mark.”
“How about talking to me and Brodey?”
“Do you know what we should do?”
Cail stared at him. “Okay, fine. Fuck, you’re right. I have no clue either.”
“Exactly. I want an objective opinion.”
“Fine. Go.”
Ain climbed into his truck and took off. He tried to quiet his mind as he drove. Mark, also a wolf shifter, as well as a distant cousin of theirs, was currently the Clan representative in their area. An unofficial title that meant very little in the grand scheme of things. Several of the local shifters, including Ain, took turns doing the job, but Ain still wanted Mark’s opinion. They’d been friends up in Maine. Mark was one of the reasons they’d chosen to settle in Florida in the first place.
Mark Telford ran a beef production outfit, different from the Lyalls’ breeding stock operation. Mark looked up from his desk when Ain walked into his office. He smiled at first, his pleased expression quickly fading as he sized his friend up.
“Ain, what’s wrong?”
“Can we close the door?”
Mark nodded. Ain closed the office door behind him before taking a seat in front of Mark’s desk. “I don’t know where to start.”
Mark closed the lid on his laptop and sat back in his chair. “Start at the beginning.”
Ain snorted. “That’ll take a couple hundred years.”
“Then give me the short version.”
“I have to warn you, there’s a blood oath involved.”
Mark frowned. “No one does those anymore. Well, except maybe those bugshit-crazy Abernathys.”
He stared at Ain, who didn’t answer. “Oh, shit,” Mark finally said.
“If I tell you, you can’t go ratting us out to the Council. You have to promise.”
Mark leaned back in his chair. “Do you have good reason to go against it?”
Ain nodded. “I haven’t sworn to it. It’s one-sided, and old.”
“Oh, well, that’s different. And if it means giving a big fuck-you to the Abernathys, I’m in. So, what’s up?”
By the time Ain finished catching Mark up an hour later, his friend shook his head in disbelief. “That was the short version? I’d hate to see the unabridged one.”
“I warned you.”
“Yes, you did.” He chewed his lip as he thought. “Have you called Jocko and told him all this yet?”
“Nope. I wanted to get your opinion first. I don’t know what Jocko will do when I tell him. I won’t let Elain go to the Abernathys. None of us will. We’ll fight to the death for her.”
“My honest opinion is that the Abernathys are as crazy as a bunch of rabid Mississippi squirrels.”
“I know that. I meant I wanted your opinion on what to do about the situation.”
Mark shrugged. “I don’t know. Fight for your mate.”
“That’s obvious.”
“Wait for them to bring the fight to you. I don’t know what else to tell you. I’d personally be happy if Rodolfo Abernathy took a long dirt nap, because I strongly believe he’s the only thing holding that group of bozos together at this point.”
“They killed our parents.”
“You don’t know that for sure, Ain.”
“Maybe he didn’t do it personally, but I’m willing to bet he’s at the very least indirectly responsible. It’s a logical assumption.”
“Yes, it is. I don’t think you’re wrong. However, you need proof before you go declaring a grudge against them. I’m not going to tell you to do something that will start a Clan war. That’s just the kind of shit those assholes like. You’re going to have to go talk to Jocko. And Lacey.”
“We are. After the wedding.”
Mark shook his head. “Stuff is spiraling too fast. You have time before the wedding to get up there. I strongly suggest not putting it off. Especially if this guy that Lina and Elain are talking about has figured out who she is and where she is. You need the strength of the Clan behind you on this one. And even then, they might not back you up. You know that. Blood oaths are nothing to fuck around with. Especially with the Abernathys.”
Ain rubbed his face with his hands. “I didn’t need this crap right now.”
“Hey, you’ve got Lina and her guys here. Use them as backup. Take them with you. You’re surrounded by powerful shifters. No one will fuck with Lina and her men.”
“True.”
“You don’t look convinced.”
Ain studied Mark. “Maybe this guy is the same person who killed our parents. Part of me wants revenge, and part of me wants to get Elain as far away from the guy as possible.”
“The ancient conundrum. Either way, you still need to get her up to Lacey so she can tell you what you need to know about Elain.”
Ain let out a sigh. “I know. And I guess that’s the best thing to do.”
“Revenge can wait. It’s waited, what, twenty-seven years now?”
“Yep.”
* * * *
Ain returned home later that afternoon to find Elain sitting alone at the kitchen table and apparently in a state of semi-shock, from the stunned look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She slowly looked at him. “Jan and Rick and Kael.”
He waited, but she didn’t continue. “Yes?”
“They’re…dragon
s.”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“Dragons!”
He nodded. “Yes. I know.”
“Did you hear what I said?”
He smirked. “Yes.”
“Did you understand what I just said?”
He grinned. “Yes, I did.”
She stood and grabbed him by the shirt. “Dragons! As in fire-breathing, flying, scaly dragons!”
“Well, technically I think only Rick is a fire-breathing—”
“You know what I mean!”
He engulfed her hands in his. “Honey,” he calmly said as he stroked the backs of her hands, “remember how you freaked out when we turned into wolves for you the first time?”
“But—” Her mouth snapped shut. “That’s different!”
He smirked. “How?”
“Wolves are real!’
“So are dragons.”
“No, they’re not! They’re make-believe!”
“So are shape-shifters.”
She looked like she was going to reply, then stopped. Her mouth flapped open and closed a couple of times before she let out a frustrated grunt, pulled her hands free from his, and stormed out of the kitchen.
He tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. He knew she’d wrap her mind around it eventually, but it was funny watching her try to do it.
Goddess knows, I need the laugh.
* * * *
Elain wanted to slap the amused smirk off Ain’s face. Knowing that wouldn’t go over so well, she stormed out of the kitchen to the lanai, where she plopped down into a lounger. She was staring out at the woods, letting her mind wander and trying to calm herself so she didn’t get into trouble when something caught her eye.
She sat up. Just inside where the trees started, it looked like movement. Like a woman.
Mom and Lina are inside the house. I know it’s not them. Elain stood and walked toward the woods.
The movement, Elain was certain of it now, headed deeper into the shade of the cypress and pine trees growing thick in the wooded area. Sounds faded from Elain’s conscious around her as she focused on following the pale, wispy shape. As she tried to pick up speed, so did the form.
Elain left the trail and wound her way through the ever-denser woods until she reached the edge of a small pond. She knew the form had come this way, but there were no tracks besides her own and those of small animals like raccoons and opossums in the soft dirt leading up to the water’s edge.
“Hello?” she called out.
Only a distant bird’s call replied.
Should I be afraid? Despite all the recent developments, she wasn’t. The form, or whatever it was, didn’t scare her.
A flash of movement to her right set her off after the apparition again, only more quickly this time. As she thought she gained on it, her focus drew in tightly, almost to a pinpoint of awareness. Her legs swiftly and silently carried her through the underbrush, instinct taking over, and she thought she was about to catch up with it when she emerged into one of the pastures.
Ten feet away, a brown cow picked up its head from where it’d been grazing and stared at her.
Elain looked around as her perception of the world once again widened. Nothing around but cows.
The one closest to her mooed.
Despite the warm air, a shiver passed over her. Her pulse raced. “Hello?” she yelled.
The cow walked over to her and nuzzled her chest with wet nose.
“Blech.” Elain stepped away. “No thanks.”
With one last look around, she headed back to the house, this time skirting around the outer perimeter of the wooded area.
Should I tell the guys?
She snorted. Fuck no. They’re already freaked out enough as it is
* * * *
Lina locked herself into a bathroom. It was the first time she’d had two minutes to herself to think all day long. Sure enough, Maureen Alexander’s ghost stared back at her from the mirror.
“You really should be showing yourself to Liam or Elain, you know,” Lina said.
“I need your help.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m not sure what else I can do besides what I’m doing.”
The ghost didn’t reply.
Lina sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just I don’t have any answers for you.”
The spirit faded from the mirror.
Lina felt a little guilty about not being able to comfort her, but she had no clue what to do.
Closing her eyes, she wished herself to Baba Yaga’s house. Again, the woman wasn’t there.
“Goddammit,” she grumbled as she walked over to the front door. She threw it open. “Hello?”
No one.
“Where the fuck is she?” Lina wondered aloud. When I don’t need her, it’s like she’s all up in my business giving me fortune cookie advice. When I need her, I can’t find her.
She opened her eyes and pulled out her cell phone and called Callie.
Her friend, and one of Baba Yaga’s two younger sisters, answered on the second ring. “Lina! How’s those little ones doing?”
“Hey, girlfriend. They have me as big as a house. I have a question for you.”
“Sure, shoot.”
“Have you talked to your sister lately?”
“Which one?”
“Baba Yaga.”
There was a moment of silence from Callie’s end. When she spoke again, her tone sounded more than curious. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Nothing serious at this moment, but I have some questions for her and I haven’t been able to find her. I’ve gone to her house twice now and she wasn’t there.”
“Oh. Hmm. Let me see if I can track her down for you. I’ll call you right back.”
“Thanks.”
Lina anxiously waited for Callie’s call. She jumped when her phone rang a couple of minutes later.
“Sorry, Lina. No luck. I don’t know where she’s gotten off to. I hunted down Brighde, and she hasn’t seen her lately either.”
“Doesn’t that worry you?” Lina asked.
“Not really. She’s done this before. It doesn’t mean anything’s wrong. She might just need some alone time or whatever.”
“She lives alone.”
“She’s an… odd woman.”
Lina let out a snort. “Not the word I’d use, but okay.”
“Is it anything I can help you with?”
Lina looked into the mirror. She stood alone in the bathroom although she suspected Maureen’s spirit watched her. “What do you know about ghosts?”
“Ghosts?”
“Yeah.”
Another moment of silence from Callie’s end. “What, exactly, are we talking about? Are we talking evil movie ghosts, TV ghost-hunting ghosts, or what?”
Lina sighed. “One particular ghost.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“I know who. I just don’t know how, although I suspect the why.”
“Is there a reason you’re not telling me more?”
“Yeah, no offense, but it’s not my story to let out of the bag. And it’s something the Lyall men have to deal with. If I tell you and Blackie makes you tell—”
“Ah. Understood.” Callie’s tone had returned to its usual light friendliness. Callie had searched eons to find a man who could be her Master. She’d found that in wolf-shifter and distant Lyall cousin, Daniel Blackestone, whom everyone called Blackie. The downside being she made no bones about the fact that she was not a secret keeper when it came to him. She might be a powerful immortal, but her mate and Master turned her into a puddle of creamy goo.
And that’s the way she wanted it.
When Lina got off the phone she stared at the empty mirror. No visions had come to her to explain Maureen Pardie’s apparition.
No unexpected visits from Baba Yaga.
With a sigh, she left the bathroom. This mystery could wait for another day. She had too much on her plate now as it was.
Chapte
r Eight
At dinner that night, Ain took a deep breath. He sincerely hoped Elain, who sat next to him on his right, wouldn’t argue with him about this. “I went and talked with Mark Telford today,” he told everyone. “I laid it all out for him. He’s in agreement that we need to go to Maine and talk to Lacey before the wedding. She needs to meet Elain and settle the question about her being a shape-shifter once and for all.”
“We’ll take her,” Lina immediately piped up before her men could react. “I haven’t seen Lacey in a while. I’d love to visit her.”
Elain stared at Ain. “Who is Lacey again?” She thought she’d heard them mention that name before, but with all the recent events, she’d be damned if she could remember who it was.
Ain started to answer. “She’s our Clan’s Seer—”
“Sort of like me, only without the firepower,” Lina quipped. “You’ll like her.”
“Lina,” Ain said, “while we appreciate the offer—”
She gave him a look that silenced him. “Dude, chances are that Fat Boy is keeping an eye on the house. If you three leave, Fat Boy will know something’s up and follow you. She goes with us, chances are no one’s going to realize she’s even gone until we’re safely on our way. It’s safer.”
Brodey nodded. “I have to admit, Ain, that’s a good idea.”
Ain felt the situation rapidly slipping out of his control. “But—”
Cail threw his opinion into the ring. “They’re right. If we leave, anyone watching the place will follow us.” He nodded toward Liam and Carla. “Let them go, too, with Lina and her guys. Elain can lie down in the car and hide until they’re out of town and know no one’s following them.”
Ain didn’t like it. “I don’t want Elain away from us for that long.”
Elain, surprisingly, held her temper in check. “Ain,” she gently said, “I think Jan, Rick, and Kael are more than capable of protecting me, along with Lina. They’re frickin’ dragons.”
“And Liam,” Carla piped up, favoring him with a smile. “We’ll go, too.”
Zack snorted. “Hey, what am I?”
“Eye candy,” Kael quipped without hesitation.