Chapter 19
Livvie
Holy freaking crap, practicing magic was like the most intense workout I’d ever done.
Sammy had no leads on Leonard. She didn’t want to attack him flat out while he was amongst his pack, and other than with them, she didn’t know where he could be.
So, while I wasn’t working at the bed and breakfast during the day, since there really wasn’t all that much for me to do, I spent time in the woods with Sammy.
For a solid week, she kicked my ass. Not literally, but she worked me so hard, making me manipulate what magic I could already reach.
Every evening, I limped home, dead tired and aching.
And every night, even though he’d already worked a very physically demanding job, Wes made dinner and then rubbed my legs and feet.
How had I gotten so lucky? It didn’t seem real, especially with the threat of Leonard hanging over our heads.
But all in all, even exhausted, working with my magic and knowing it was real and tangible and that I wasn’t crazy!! That was pretty fantastic. And I controlled it a tiny bit better each day, though Sammy warned me as more unlocked, it would feel like starting over every time.
As I trudged through the woods toward my cottage, wrung out from practicing, my phone rang with Wes’s ringtone.
“Hello?” I answered in a silly tone of voice.
“Hey, gorgeous. Just letting you know I’ll be a little late but I’m bringing dinner from the restaurant.”
He was so thoughtful. “I can handle dinner one night, you know,” I said.
“Are you exhausted from working with Sammy?” he asked, knowing darn well I was.
“Maybe.”
“There you go. I’ll bring dinner. We’re almost done with the interior walls, so we all agreed to stay a few minutes late tonight so we can tick that off of our lists.”
Excitement bubbled through me. “I can’t believe with all the insanity going on that you’re still on schedule.”
“If I’m being honest, me too. But I do have a really great crew.” He was so modest. One of the things I was beginning to love about him. “Anyway,” he continued,0 “I’ll be working outside all week.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely as I stomped over a log. “With all this craziness, I’ve really been neglecting the renovations.”
“Hey, what’s a partner for?” he asked. “Besides, you’re still paying me for all this.”
I burst out laughing and unlocked my back door. “Well, I’ll see you soon, okay? I’ll hit the shower.”
I’d considered abandoning the bed and breakfast now that I knew it had just been a front the whole time. But in the end, it was still the place I remembered best growing up. I loved it, and my role in bringing it back to life. I wouldn’t abandon it.
After my shower, I got a group text from Anthony, outlining the details of a clan flight the next day, on Sunday afternoon. He sent me a personal follow-up text.
We’d love to see you with the other human mates tomorrow. You’d be more than welcome.
After Wes got home, we decided to go. I wanted to see more of the dragons and get some insider info from all the ladies. I hadn’t seen Wes shift since the first time, when he’d protected me from Leonard. I couldn’t wait to see it again and be able to explore him and really take it all in properly.
The next day, Skye, Liza, and several other women waved excitedly to me from Skye’s front porch. A gate had been put up and a bunch of babies and toddlers crawled and played. The rest of the clan gathered in the clearing between the house and the cliff over the ocean.
After popping a kiss to Wes’s lips, I bounded up the stairs and climbed over the gate, tiptoeing through the children to join Liza. “Saved you a rocking chair,” she said cheerily.
After introductions, we turned to listen to Anthony.
I knew most of the women, but it was nice to have a names refresher.
Skye was with Anthony, of course, and Liza with Toby.
Kaylee was Porter’s mate. And Bee and Wayne.
I didn’t know Bee’s sister, Briana, as well.
She was mated to Jace, Anthony’s best friend and Porter’s half-brother.
Everyone here was so connected. I was a bit of an outsider, but they made me feel totally welcome.
“Thanks everyone for coming tonight!” Anthony called.
“Our beautiful and benevolent witch has been busy with other very important things, so I apologize for the delay between flights.” He waved at Sammy, leaning against a tree near the cliff.
She rolled her eyes and waved back. “I hope you all enjoy yourselves. Go have a good flight and when you get back, we’ll eat! ”
Skye snorted. “I didn’t sign up for the catering when I mated Anthony.”
Briana snorted. “You love playing hostess and you know it.”
We all chuckled, but then all the dragons began to transform, and I was utterly enchanted. They were mostly all shades of dark blue and black, except for Wes, Toby, and Porter. They came from a different clan, I knew. They were gorgeous shades of red. “Whoa,” I muttered.
As they took off toward the water and scattered, I tried to follow the conversation but mostly kept my eyes toward the sky.
How did I always know which one was Wes? I couldn’t tell how, but I knew, every time when he swooped by overhead. My heart still beat in tune with his and it was more obvious now. I was so connected to him, even as a dragon.
“How are you handling everything?” Bee asked.
I sighed and tore my eyes away from the underside of my dragon mate. “It’s so much to take in,” I admitted. “But I didn’t expect to ever be this happy.”
They smiled as if they knew exactly what I was talking about. “The circumstances aren’t ideal. But I’m content, more than content, with what fate chose for me.”
A thump behind me made me whirl and give up the conversation. I turned to watch Wes shift from enormous red dragon back to himself. He walked toward us and the ladies all giggled or sighed. “Does he walk that way on purpose?” Bianca asked.
I snorted. “I don’t think he actually knows the effect he has. He knows he’s hot, of course, but he still has a healthy dose of modesty.”
“Of course I do,” he called.
“Don’t forget how good their hearing is,” Kaylee muttered. “You have to be sure they’re far away before you compliment them, or they get big heads.”
“She’s right,” Wes muttered as he leaned against the porch railing. I bent over and offered my lips for a kiss, which he complied. “Come for a walk?” he asked after I pulled away.
Grinning, I hopped up on the side of the porch railing and jumped at him. As I expected, Wes caught me and swung me around before setting me on the ground. “We’ll be back,” I called to the ladies.
“Take your time,” Skye replied. “We’re going to put out the food.”
We walked into the woods with Wes’s arm around my shoulders and my hand on his back. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“I am. I’ve forgotten about being so tired,” I said. “And it’s nice to have a day off from the intense training, even though I do love my exercises with Sammy.”
Wes pulled me down a trail, not really speaking until we got to a small clearing. He sat on a log, so I followed.
“I just wanted to express how much you’ve come to mean to me in such a short amount of time.” He took my hands and turned toward me. “I hope I can be the best mate for you. And give you all six babies you want. But mostly I want to make you happy.”
All of my emotions bubbled to the surface, but instead of crying, fireflies appeared around us, hundreds and hundreds of them, twinkling and blinking like crazy. I burst out laughing. “This magic thing is pretty cool.”
Wes stared in amazement as I waved my hand. They all flew away as his jaw dropped. “How?” he asked.
“I told you, I’ve been practicing.” I preened as he laughed, then wrapped my arms around his neck when he pressed his lips to mine.
“You’re remarkable,” he whispered. “I’m so glad fate chose you for me.”
With a sigh, I leaned back. “Now, I want to see your dragon, just us. Can I… inspect him?”
Wes’s eyebrows flew up. “He’d love it if you did.”
Jumping to his feet, he jogged into the center of the small clearing. “Ready?” he called.
“Yes!” I jumped to my feet in excitement and gasped as he shifted. It happened so fast, I couldn’t really see the actual shift, but suddenly a giant dragon stood in front of me.
His red scales were darker than I’d first thought. More like a deep maroon, but they shone so that the sun glinted off of them and made them seem brighter. “Wow,” I whispered.
Wes turned in a circle as I stepped closer. When I was within arm’s reach, I held my hand out, letting him—or his dragon, rather—stick his nose in my palm.
“You’re so much warmer like this,” I exclaimed.
A low growl rumbled up his throat. I laughed and stepped closer. “Can I touch you?”
Wes nodded his enormous head once, giving me permission. I ran my hands all along his scales, marveling in how hard they were. He turned and lifted his head, so I saw that the scales underneath were softer, more like a snake. “You’re so hard yet so soft.”
He chuffed, and I was pretty sure he was laughing. “Oh, stop it,” I said with a laugh of my own. I’d said something similar during lovemaking earlier in the week about his penis. So hard, yet so soft.
I took my time touching almost every part of him.
His eyes, full of fire and somehow, love, kept drawing my attention so I ended up going back up to stare into them again before moving on to his chest, legs, back, even the tip of his tail.
His claws, sharp and dangerous, only represented protection to me. Never fear.
Once I’d had my fill, going over him two or three times, Wes shifted back and pulled me into his arms. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me for you to accept me like that. To touch me and be so sweet.”
“I’m a part of something that so few people in this world can claim to be,” I said. “I’m so lucky to be your mate. And not just because you’re a dragon, either. Because you’re wonderful.”
His arms tightened around me. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
The rest of the day passed with good company. I got to know everyone a bit better, sitting back a lot and watching the group dynamic. They were a big family, even the ones on the fringes like Wes.
And now I was a part of it. For better or worse. I had a feeling it would be for better, though.