Trying to calm his heart and head, they were landing on the top when he realized that he wasn’t even sure if they should have told the others. Was this a vantage point for them to watch? Were they going to be slaughtered in their sleep below? Then, as he was ready to confess that he wasn’t ready to be a warrior dragon, something hit him in the chest.

  It was a small green dragon, and it only looked to be a few hours old. As Jackson stood there, his hands and chest covered in small dragons, he watched as Nicole was trying her best to shake them off her human form. It might have been funny if he wasn’t sure what the hell was going on.

  “They hatched, Lord Jackson.” He nodded at Aurora, who was just there all of a sudden. “I felt the magic touch the earth, and I knew that it was something wonderful. All the babies have hatched.”

  “All of them?” His mind was trying to remember how many there had been in the cave after counting the ones that had been taken to homes. “We have nearly fifty baby dragons here now?”

  She nodded, and he didn’t know what to say to her about it. Fifty baby dragons. Hell, even one or two of them was a lot to handle. He made his way to Nicole, and watched as she barked “Order.” No one was listening to her, he noticed, as he tried to help get the dragons in some sort of order.

  “I said to sit the fuck down.” Everyone—dragons, himself, Aurora, and the faeries—scrambled to find a place to sit. “Now, as I was saying to each and every one of you, this has to be done orderly or we’re so fucked right now.”

  Two of the baby yellow dragons were rolling around in the dirt and laughing. It brought a smile to his face. It had been a very long time since he’d seen babies like this, much less playing in the dirt. When Nicole snapped her fingers, the two sat up and stared at her, punching each other in the arms as they did so.

  “Now. We have to think about this. There have to be rules regarding how this works. If not, people will find you all, and then you’ll be killed. It won’t matter if you’re cute and adorable with sharp teeth to them. That’s all they’re going to see. Sharp teeth that will grow to be bigger than them.” The dragons and company nodded. “Now, each of you will be assigned five faeries. Striker will be in charge of all of those. You will listen to them as if it is me talking to you. If you don’t, then I’m going to hunt you down and— I don’t know what I’ll do to you, but you had better bet that it will not be hugging you.”

  Nicole looked at him. There was panic in her eyes. Also, she was charmed by the little creatures.

  Before he could go to her, offer her support, Devon and Kelly arrived as their dragons. The babies all bowed before them, as if they knew instinctively that this was their king, the one that ruled them above all others. Nicole and he might be in charge of them to protect them, but the ruler was now before them.

  Devon didn’t shift when Kelly did. He was speaking to the dragons. Born on his land, they would also know how to talk to the great man. Aurora and Nicole stood watching, and he could almost feel the worry rolling off his mate. Something bigger than this was really bothering her. And it would have to be big if nearly fifty dragons born at one time wasn’t that worrisome to her.

  Jackson moved toward the two women. Kelly joined him, and told him how the egg that she’d brought home was broken, and she thought that it knew to come here when born. Kelly asked what was bothering Nicole.

  “I don’t know. I would say that it’s her mind working out details, but all I can think about is how we’re going to keep these babies safe. You do know that anything magical around here is going to realize that something has happened. Their magic is what supplies the world with it, and with an infusion of this much at once, I believe someone will notice.”

  “I never thought of that.” They stood by the two women just as Aurora said that the earth would provide. Kelly asked what they might be talking about. “And why would the earth provide if we can help?”

  “Food, for one thing. Right now they can eat fruit. I’ve noticed with the sun coming up that the fruit trees are hanging full. I would imagine that a great many things are magically enhanced right now. Gardens that were long dormant now are bursting with greens and herbs. It was in one of the books I got.” Nicole looked at the sky. “I know that this town is aware of the fact that dragons live here. But what happens if the sky is dark for most of the day when they learn to fly? That will hurt them too. Then we have to find enough water and fish for them.”

  “The surrounding areas will have to know as well. Aurora, could you please call a meeting of all the creatures in charge? That way we can let them know what is going on?” Jackson thought of the damage that just a few of these dragons could create as his mind worked out details. “I was thinking that we could have a couple of the dragons play in the waterways daily. But then I realized that even that would hurt the gentle flow of things. The water might be full of fish and they’d eat most, but the food supply for the rest of the fishes will be diminished greatly until the water dies from starvation.”

  “Red meat.” They turned to Kelly. “I mean, I can put away a lot of red meat right now. And I’m only a single dragon. What happens when they get bigger and need to have that too? Christ, this isn’t what I was thinking at all when I heard that the dragons were here. We’re going to be starved out of our homes in no time.”

  “Not necessarily.” Jackson asked Striker what she was talking about. “The lady Nicole will call to order all the magical beings in this realm. Tell them what we will need from them over the next few years. I think that will be all it takes for the supply to be up to where we will need it. More deer and other animals being born will help. Should that be started now, by the time they are ready to eat stronger foods, then it will be ready for them.”

  “You mean ask them to raise more to be offered up as slaughter for these guys? I don’t know. That sounds very cold to me.” Jackson looked at Nicole as he continued. “What is it you think about that?”

  “It’ll be a tradeoff.” He asked her what she meant. “If the dragons can produce this much magic just by being born, what kind of shit will they be able to do for a lot of land when they’re larger? Think about what we can do. We could ask for help now. And everyone that helps can have a dragon come stay part of the year on their land to improve it. There are over one hundred lands between here and the end of the realm. Six months per dragon will help them.”

  “And if they decide that they don’t want to?” Nicole asked Aurora if she thought that anyone wouldn’t like that. “I do think there would be a few that think that they’re not getting enough. I mean, some lands are larger, some smaller. I know that we cannot just say that this dragon will supply magic to this land. It will bleed over into all lands, but they will want it all. I know of two such that will argue that they cannot do this for that very reason. You will need a backup plan. This is why we need a meeting, I think.”

  “I can do the backup plan.” Nicole looked at Striker. “If Aurora calls the meeting to get them here, why is it that only I’m going to be talking to these people? That’s what you’re planning, correct? Why just me? Why not both Jackson and I?”

  Striker only looked at Jackson, and he knew right away. Pulling Nicole into his arms, he kissed her soundly on the mouth before shifting into his dragon.

  Because, my dear one, I will be your dragon. And no one fucks with a huge red diamond dragon. Nor his lovely mate. There was laughter then, and he saw that Devon, even as his human, was still talking to the babies. Shifting back to his other self, Jackson joined in the fun for a few minutes. After taking his leave of the sharp teeth and claws, he walked to where Nicole was again. “Do you know how to call a meeting to order if Aurora wants you to do it?”

  “I do. That doesn’t mean I want to, but I do know how.” He asked her what was wrong. “I’m not sure. I might just behead some shit fuck that won’t play ball the way I want to. I’m not in the best of humor right now. It’s not the dragons being here. I love that they’re going to be all right now. Perhaps— I was thinking that’s why they’re here—they knew that we could keep them safe. But fifty? I don’t know how to keep my shit together at the grocery store. How am I going to keep this stuff in order?”

  “You won’t.” He laughed when she slugged him in the arm. “It’s just a fact. There are more of them than there are of us. So? We’ll do the best we can, and hope that we don’t raise them to be asshats and that they’ll be good dragons for all to be proud of. But you have to admit, this is really epic. The world is just in a position that we could use this.”

  Nodding, she pulled her sword from the air. It was wonderful to see her looking so confident as a warrior and protector. But he also knew that deep inside she was a mess. This really was making her overwhelmed. Jackson also knew that if anyone could handle it and handle it well, it would be her.

  Stabbing the sword into the ground, she called the creatures to order. “All kings and queens of the outlying areas, I call on you this morning to bring you here to talk about our needs from you. You will arrive at nine tonight. You will be on time. This is the order of the Queen Red Dragon, protector of all dragons.” She looked up at him. “How was that?”

  “You didn’t mention the new babies.” She said she didn’t think they’d wait until nine if they knew they were there. “That is a good idea. Yes, they’d be all over us about when it happened. Also, I liked the part where you didn’t ask them to come, but ordered it by proclamation.”

  They made their way back to the house after giving final directions to Striker to hand out. Holding hands, they walked side by side down the big hill, not speaking. They were both thinking about everything that could and would go wrong with this, Jackson was sure of it. And when she made her way up the stairs to take a shower, he went to the kitchen to talk to their cook.

  After telling her about the meeting and the people coming, she said that she’d be ready with small things to eat. Not that they knew who would show up or if anyone would, but she said she’d be ready. Also, Jackson suggested that they let all the other household staff know as well so that they could lend a hand.

  Jackson had spoken to Devon on the way to the house. He was pleased by the idea of having the meeting, and he was honest in saying that he’d not thought of what they might need in the way of help. Devon told him that he thought of everyone he knew that he and Nicole were the best people for this job.

  He hoped so. Jackson did not want a bunch of hungry angry dragons coming after him. Red dragon or not, they’d have him as a snack and not think a thing about it. If they failed, too, there were going to be a lot of angry humans. They depended on the magic that came to them through dragons. Even if they might not be aware of it.

  ~*~

  A calmness lay over Nicole, and she thought that she might just be numb and not feeling well. They were here. Nearly two hundred magical creatures from the realms that were governed by this particular magic.

  Nicole had looked up how the magic worked while she’d been waiting on the time to come here. All the world benefited from the magic, of course, but wherever the dragons were, the magic was about tenfold. Which she supposed was about right, since that land was going to be giving up the most to have it around. Meat and food were a large part of it, but there was so much more than that. With new dragons breeding, it could only get worse. She’d had to stop reading that immediately in favor of not puking all over herself.

  Standing on the land behind the castle that she and Jackson lived in, Jackson by her side, she watched Devon and the rest of the dragons walk around talking to the others. The dragons weren’t to be mentioned until she said they could be. It was going to be both scary and funny to see their reactions.

  Calling the meeting to order, she was glad that someone had remembered chairs.

  “Thank you for coming tonight on such short notice.” Someone from the back mentioned that it hadn’t been a request. Devon told her to deal with people talking like that publicly and harshly. “No, it wasn’t a request, but I can still be polite, more so than you are, to thank you for coming.”

  There was muttering, but nothing more was said about the meeting. Nicole introduced herself to the group, as well as letting them know who all the other people, mostly dragons, were. Bryce had said to make sure that they knew that they had the company of the grand witch too. Either it would scare the fuck out of them, she told her, or they’d be just a little impressed.

  “We have asked you to come here to our aid. We have had some setbacks of late, and will need each of you to increase the production of all your lands. Animals especially, but all things such as fruits, herbs, and vegetables.”

  A man stood up, then was dragged down by the woman next to him. When he stood again, Nicole asked him what he needed.

  “You want us to increase our production? You want us to help you? I’ve heard a lot coming from you on your needs, but what about our needs? Did you think of that?” She grinned. This was the man she was to watch for, Aurora had told her. “I have a great deal of land. I cannot be just giving away what I have to some red person that says they need it.”

  “Okay, you’re right. But had you let me say more than a few dozen words before getting your panties in a fucking twist, then you might have gotten more of the information that I was going to share. Just sit the fuck down and shut up until I’m finished. And heed your wife, sir. I’m not in the best of humor right now. I have a great deal on my mind.” She looked at the sky and saw the first of them. “I would like for you all to remain seated. Don’t run. If you do, then I cannot be responsible for what they might do to you. Believe me when I tell you that it’s not to harm you in any way, they’re just...well, they’re just playing around.”

  The dragons, all of them, descended on the crowd. There were screams, and a couple of people stood up as if to run, but for the most part, they remained calm about being bowled over by some ten to twenty pound dragons. Most of them, the people, seemed to be as excited as they were before thinking about the consequences of having that many around.

  “As you can see, we’ve been blessed with the hatching of some stored away eggs. Had you asked me about this, I would have said that it would only happen in the movies, that eggs could hold on to be born when they were safe. But as you can see, they didn’t want to wait any longer.”

  Nicole watched the people playing with them. Some were even petting them to sleep. Whatever was going on, the man in white, the king of undergrounds, wasn’t having anything to do with it.

  “What is it you need from us, Lady Queen?” She nodded at the man who spoke, but before she could answer him, the man in white stood up.

  “You have these dragons here and you expect us to pay for what they eat, don’t you? Well, I for one have nothing to do with what they eat, so there was no reason for you to summon me here at all.” He didn’t sit down no matter how many times his wife pulled at his clothing. So when he turned to her, drawing back his hand, Nicole was atop him before he could free his swing and hit her. “What do you think you’re doing? Get off me right now.”

  She had a knife at his throat, another at his balls. Nicole wasn’t standing on the ground, but floating about a foot from it. Taking him from his place in the meeting, she took him to the closest tree and sat him there. All the people were looking at them to see what she was going to do to the man.

  “I don’t know if he’s always hitting someone trying to help him. I haven’t any idea if he beats his wife. But drawing back to do so is the same as doing it in my book. I do not condone violence. More than that, I will hurt anyone, male or female, that takes any kind of anger out on a child or animal.” The people nodded. “While saying that, it doesn’t mean that I don’t think a kid couldn’t use a nice smack to the bottom. But never are you to do it out of anger, where I can see you or hear about it. That, no matter to me who you are, will end your life faster than you can say mother fuck. Do I make myself clear?”

  Everyone nodded, then the applause broke out. She was embarrassed at that. Agreeing with her was one thing, but to praise her for doing just what she said not to do didn’t settle well. Going back to her place next to Jackson, she let him curl his large tail around her legs and she received comfort from it. And courage.

  “Yes, we’re going to need for everyone to ramp up their production. In return for your help, we’ll help you as well. When the dragons are trained and ready to leave the nest, so to speak, they will come to your lands, those that wish to help in this endeavor, and help with the magic of your land. Those of you that wish nothing to do with it, it is all right if you go that way. But know this—with the magic of the grand witch by our sides, the magic will not seep into your land. You will lay almost barren, while those around you will be able to not just feed their peoples, but also make some cash by selling off what they cannot eat.”

  Lots of people had questions. It was just what they’d thought they might ask. Larger lands verses smaller ones. Nicole answered those that she could. If she didn’t know the answer or there were others there that had a better way of making it understandable, they would answer. The man in white, no name was ever given, just sat there by the tree saying nothing.

  “Now, I’d like for you to give a list of things that you might need to make some of these things start. As was explained, some of the ramping up of food will need to begin as soon as possible. The dragons will benefit us all, but only if we keep them healthy. I don’t know about you guys, but the thought of a hungry dragon scares me a bit. And I am one.” They laughed, just as she’d hoped they would. “The faeries are there for you to ask more questions of. They are also to take a list of what you need. Remember, the dragons are here so our resources are a little tight, but we will help where we can.”

  Nicole and Devon, as a man this time, made their way to the man who was still angry. Nicole asked him if he was willing to help or not. She didn’t expect any other answer but no, he was not. So she wasn’t surprised when he shook his head.

 

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