Jackson: House of Wilkshire ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance, page 17
Jackson couldn’t help it, he laughed so hard that he fell to the floor. And every time he looked at his good friend, he’d laugh more. Kelly had warned Devon not to touch him, so Jackson was having the time of his life. The unflappable Devon, king of dragons, was trying to make his wife have the baby so that he’d feel better. It was worth everything that Devon said he was going to do to him just so see him like this.
~*~
The hatchling would take a month to hatch, but Susanna was about as thrilled as she could be about being a great grandma. As soon as the little egg was birthed, she went to talk to her daughter to tell her all about it. And to tell her what a pussy—she thought that a good name for the way that Devon had been acting—he had been.
“It’s a blue egg, my love.” She smiled when she thought of Kelly giving the little egg the once over. “It was so small, as it well should have been, that Kelly was sure that someone had played a trick on her about it. She’d not been told that the egg, like the dragon within, would grow to suit his space.”
Her daughter hadn’t had an egg when she’d birthed Devon. She had forgotten about that over the centuries. Anna had a son. It was then that everyone, she supposed, realized that Devon wasn’t a full-blooded dragon. Anna had never told him the circumstances of his birth, and wondered if it would matter to him at all.
“Things are moving along nicely again. Not perfect, but we could never expect that even when you were alive.” She hurt whenever she thought of all that her daughter had missed, simply because her husband had been such a bastard. “Devon…my goodness, love, I know that I say this to you a great deal, but he is so wonderful to people. Kind and generous. You’d be so proud of him.”
Looking around the cemetery at the other headstones that were there, she wondered if anyone else visited their child as much as she did hers. Susanna didn’t care if people thought her odd, but she never wanted to embarrass Kelly or Devon with her actions. When she saw a small red winged blackbird land on the headstone, it startled her when the little creature turned into a beautiful woman.
“Hello.” Susanna nodded at her as she sat down on the freshly mowed grass. “I have a message from a friend. You know Davidson?”
“Yes. Why would he send you and not come himself?” The woman said that she knew not, but he’d changed her into a bird and told her to come here to wait for her. “Why would he do that?”
“He said to ask you three things that only you would know about him. Davidson said that you knew him the best of anyone, and that if you were to get the answers wrong, then I was to kill you.” A bejeweled blade was laid on the ground between them. Susanna knew that blade. It was Davidson’s. “You want to take the chance, my lady?”
“Yes, go ahead. But I will tell you this—if you have hurt a hair on his head, then I will hunt you down and kill you myself.” The girl looked away, then back at her. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Yes, my lady. But he fought well, and told me that you’d be the one that would be able to save his hide. I don’t understand that since he’s dead, but I was to tell you that.” Susanna nodded and asked for the three questions. “What happened the day he was born? Where are his gold cufflinks, and I’m to ask you what would it take to poison him, should anyone get close enough?”
“The day that Davidson was born, a motorcycle company came into business. He told me that was how he picked his name. His cufflinks are in my jewelry box, along with the watch that he gave me and the safety pen that I had to show him how to work.” She looked at the young lady, knowing that she was right on the first two and would know the third. “Are you hurt, young lady?”
“Nay, my lady. I am only tired. And the third answer? What is it that would be the only thing that would poison him?” Susanna didn’t want to answer her, because somehow it would make his death real. “My lady?”
“He said that love was the poison of all people. While it didn’t kill most, it would make them old before their time, and it would drain him dry.” Susanna continued as the young woman nodded. “He had been in love, you see. And being what he was, it didn’t work out for the two of them. I’d always thought the woman a fool, but there is no accounting for tastes in some.”
“You are correct. A man came to his home four nights ago when we were studying the books that you lent him. They are safe. He told me when I saw you to let you know that they are very safe. But the man didn’t wait for Davidson to bid him entrance—not that I think he would have—but he burst into the room and demanded that he tell him where you were.” Susanna knew the answer before she asked, but did ask if Davidson had told. “No, my lady. He suffered greatly for you in keeping you safe. But there is one more thing that I would ask of you. I should like to have a safe place myself for a time. Not too long. A few days.”
“Are you his apprentice?” She said that she had been for a long while. “Davidson was a great warlock. Not the best, but he was very good at his craft. For someone to have gotten that close to him, they would have been powerful too.”
“Or evil.” Susanna asked the girl’s name. “I am Skylar Davidson, my lady. I am his daughter. He sent me here, I think, for two reasons. To tell you he did love you, and that he is no longer a part of this world.”
“Are you aware that the grand witch is a part of my family?” Skylar said she only wanted to rest for a few days, that she’d cause no trouble. “I should hope not. You’ll come home with me now. I’ll make sure that you have a place to rest as well as a place to heal up. Even from here, I can smell the blood on you.”
“I tried my best so save him.” Susanna didn’t doubt that one bit. “He saw me, this man. He saw what I look like, and I worry a little for that.”
“Do you know his name?” Skylar said that she didn’t, but did know his face. “I’m betting that even with that information we can figure out who and where he is.”
By the time they entered the castle, Bryce was waiting on them. She guided the girl to the room that Benshaw had set up for her. Susanna would bet anything that Bryce not only knew who this man was, but was already searching for him wherever he might have hidden. Susanna went to tell Devon what was going on.
“Bryce told me. She also told me that she’s put extra protection around the house. Not that she thinks the woman will cause us any trouble, but better to be safe than sorry. Did you tell mother all about the baby and my foolishness?” She smiled and told him that she had. “Good. I bet she’s having a good laugh about it now.”
Kelly was resting, so they left the bedroom for the lower floors. Susanna knew that Devon had known the older warlock and how powerful he’d been. Susanna and the man had been friends long before Devon’s mother had been killed.
When dinner was served, Skylar joined them. Bryce had left to look some things up, and her grandmother was helping her. As they were just having their soup, Nicole and Jackson joined them. It was nice to have people around the table again, and she mentioned that to Devon.
“Kelly was just saying how we should have a nice get together before it got cold again.” Susanna asked if she thought a big cook out thing. “Yes, that was her idea. She told me that she’d never been able to cook out when she’d been living by herself. Her sister, you remember her, would steal everything, and there wasn’t enough money for anything but hot dogs anyway.”
Last month had been the trial for Kelly’s sister Rachel. No one from here had attended, but they knew what had happened. Rachel had never been one to listen, and she’d done no better in jail. Three days after she’d been sentenced to ten years, she’d been murdered in her cell. Kelly had taken it well, everyone thought. Then a few days after that, her mother had hung herself in the nursing home where she’d been staying. Kelly had been sad for them, she told Susanna, but it was more because of the way the two of them were, that she’d missed out on so much of her life. Things that they could have been celebrating with her and Devon.
“I’d like to talk to you about a couple of things, Susanna, if you’d not mind.” Susanna told Bryce to go ahead, she’d help her in any way that she could. “Thank you. This Davidson person, do you think he would have known my father?”
“I don’t think he did, child. While Davidson was a strong warlock, he wasn’t ever in the league of your dad. Davidson wasn’t into beating anyone with his magic, in that he didn’t care if he ever got any stronger than he was.” Susanna thought of something funny. “Once when we were out and about, just the two of us having some dinner and fun, we were approached by a robber. I’m sure that the kid was only trying to get himself a free meal, but Davidson was so frightened of the boy that he hid behind me the entire time. Poor man, he never had a mean bone in his body.”
“He told me that story.” Skylar talked about her dad to them, and they all laughed at her stories. “Dad told me about the shipwreck that the two of you were on as well.”
Susanna had been standing up to get herself more tea. Devon didn’t care for servants to bring them tea every two seconds, or so it seemed, so he had them bring in the carafe of the brew and set out everything around it. Susanna turned to look at Bryce over Skylar’s head, and knew that Bryce had wanted to have dinner with them so that this little thing would happen. That Skylar would get caught.
A lie.
Getting her tea and then sitting again, Skylar was talking about something to do with the shipwreck. There had been no wreck that the two of them had been on. Not even a car accident. While Davidson might have been telling his daughter that to have a good laugh, Susanna didn’t think so. It wasn’t like him to lie about things he hadn’t done. She asked Bryce if that was why she was here.
Yes. There was something just not ringing true about her. And I thought as much when she told me that she was going to be grand witch someday too, then asked me about my books. The ones that Davidson has. Do you know where he might have hidden them? She hadn’t any idea. She told her that the woman had mentioned several times how they were safe. That’s what she told me as well.
She said that I’d lent them to him. I hadn’t. I haven’t any idea why he’d tell her that, and for some reason, that does sound true other than to keep her from taking them. I don’t know for sure, but I do intend to find if he said that to her. Even had he not said it to her, she had to know that I’d be able to figure it out. I’m thinking he said that to her so that she’d come here, to ask me about them. Bryce said that was more than likely it. I have a few ideas where he might have hidden them. Davidson was very good at creating little cubby holes when there were none. He could hide the strangest things out in the open, and you’d never see them. Is she here for the books, you think?
I don’t know. But I don’t think that he’s dead either. How she got the questions you answered I don’t know, but I have a little bit of doubt that he’s been killed. And if he has, she did it. That was what Susanna was beginning to think. She’s either as weak a witch as she appears to be, or—and this is the one that I’m leaning to more and more—she’s a very clever witch, with powers that she’s hiding away from us. But have no fear, I’ll figure this out.
Susanna didn’t doubt that one bit. As they finished the meal, Susanna knew the precise moment when Devon was made aware of the deception. His body became hard as stone, and he nearly leapt out of his chair. If not for Kelly, who had joined them too, holding onto his hand, he would have killed the girl right then and there.
Dinner was finished and they retired to the living room. No one mentioned the new hatchling to the girl, nor did they give her any more information about the house or those that lived there. By the time Skylar was ready for bed, she stomped her way up the stairs, having claimed a headache. Everyone laughed when the door slammed on the upper floors.
“I’ve taken care that once she is in her room she cannot leave it until we’re up and about in the morning. Kelly will need only to touch the door to free her.” Devon thanked Bryce. “I don’t know what is going on, but I’ll get it figured out. If it’s not one thing around here, it’s another.
After their company left, Susanna sat in the living room for a bit longer. She thought about trying to contact Davidson, but wasn’t sure if the girl upstairs would know. So, biding her time, Susanna thought of all the ways that she was going to kill the girl when she had this figured out. Because as surely as she was sitting here, the girl was going to have to be killed for thinking to bring harm to her family.
Before You Go…
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Kathi Barton, winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement award as well as a best-selling author on Amazon and All Romance books, lives in Nashport, Ohio with her husband Paul. When not creating new worlds and romance, Kathi and her husband enjoy camping and going to auctions. She can also be seen at county fairs with her husband who is an artist and potter.
Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman, brings her stories to life for her readers in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi online and drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans. aaronskiss@gmail.com.
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Kathi Barton, Jackson: House of Wilkshire ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance
