Chapter 38
“How many dragons are in Scotland?” asked Kieran.
“Now? Only the MacDùghlas clan,” answered the Captain.
“And that clan consists only of the father and son, right?” Kieran asked.
“Aye. That’s why we’ve got to find the boy.”
“Where’s the father now?” asked Logan, worried about what a dragon might do to Kieran.
“He was called out of the country on business.”
“For how long?” asked Logan.
“Maybe another couple of days, not sure, it depends on how fast he discovers it was a set-up. Sorry about that, but it was the best we could do on short notice. We were only told of your arrival yesterday, so it’s been a bit of a scramble.”
Nodding, Kieran asked, “One last thing, does Artur know you are looking for his son?”
“I don’t know. Ever since his wife died, he’s been holed up in his castle and nobody has seen him. We only found out about the boy when a maid came to town,”
“Thank you, Captain, if you could take us back, we can start looking for Fionn.”
“Aye.”
Logan waited until they were underway. Babe, care to tell me how we are supposed to find the boy deep in a cave when no one else can?
What do you know about Gold Dragons?
Uh, you’re asking the wrong twin. Jackson loved dragons as a child and knew everything about the different ones.
Okay, fast lesson. A Gold Dragon fights injustice and they have spells to help them, such as shields. They also can sense the presence of other dragons. Since his father is out of the country, the only dragon for you to detect, my mate, will be Fionn.
Holy fuck! So that’s why you wanted to know about other dragons in Scotland. So, I shift into a Gold Dragon and then fly over that area of Scotland until I find him, right?
Partly. Once you shift, you’ll know exactly where he is. We go and retrieve him before his father turns up.
Fine, but you aren’t going with me, right? Too many things can go wrong and I’m not risking your life.
Babe, stop it. I need to be there because Fionn has given up hope and I can give it back to him. If I don’t, he’ll never make it back alive.
Fuckingbedamned! Logan knew Kieran was right, but it was really pissing him off about putting his mate and unborn pup in danger. If that’s the case, you better tell me everything I can do as a Gold Dragon.
During their trip back, Kieran gave Logan a crash course on the powers of the Gold Dragon.
Before Logan knew it, they were at the dock.
Holding Kieran’s hand, he helped his mate off the boat before jumping onto the dock himself.
Turning to go, he was pulled back by his mate who was speaking to the Captain.
“Thank you, Brian, for everything. Our friends will be here shortly, including one who is a doctor, and if you’d please tell them what you’ve told us, I’d appreciate it. It will give them time to get what’s needed to help Fionn.”
“Aye. Good luck.”
Leaving the boat, Logan thought about where they could go so he could shift without any humans seeing him. Deep in thought, he was surprised when Kieran opened the car door and pushed him in.
“We need to go to Fort Williams,” Kieran said to their driver. After receiving a nod, Kieran tucked himself alongside of Logan’s chest and placed his hand on his mate’s thigh, hoping to calm him. Macushla, any questions? I know this is sudden but there isn’t a moment to spare.
How do you know all this stuff about Gold Dragons?
I had to learn about every shifter in the world to prepare for receiving the rest of my powers when I found my Fated Mate.
Every kind of shifter? Why there must be hundreds of them! That’s how you spent your childhood?
Of course, how else would I understand a response from…say a Sun Bear shifter…if I didn’t know their history.
Logan never heard of a sadder childhood and he vowed to show Kieran some childhood fun, because before everything in his life had turned to shit, his memories of the antics he and his brothers had engaged in were happy ones.
~/~/~/~/~
Pulling up to the dock where Colton saw the sign for Captain Crannach’s Loch Ness Cruises, his eyes searched for signs of Logan and Kieran but couldn’t find them.
Once everyone was out of the car, he took Ian’s hand and walked down the dock with Theo and Norman trailing after them.
As they approached the man on the boat, Colton was surprised to see him lower himself to one knee before Ian and bow his head.
“Your Majesty, I’m honored. Welcome to Scotland.”
“Thank you, Captain. We’re looking for friends of ours. Were they here already?” asked Ian.
“Aye, and I have a message for ye, but we’ll need to take a cruise so if you don’t mind, come aboard and have a seat. Your Majesty, may I get you something to drink or eat? Or anyone else?” asked the Captain, looking at Theo and Norman.
Theo looked at Colton and nodded. He was hungry since they never stopped for breakfast but was at a loss for words as he wondered if the man really meant it.
Chuckling, Colton said to the Captain, “We’d appreciate it. In our hurry to find our friends, we skipped breakfast.”
“Aye, be right back.”
Ian sat down on the bench, tired from the late night and early morning. He wasn’t worried about it as he knew it was a result of being several months pregnant but that didn’t help him. Food would help so he was glad Colton had accepted the offer.
Seeing the exhaustion in Ian’s body, Colton sat next to him, putting his arm around him. “Hey, you okay? Want to lie down? I’m sure there’s a place below where you can stretch out.”
“Thanks, but I just need some food.”
“Here it is,” Colton said as the Captain came up on deck with several platters of food.
“Take these,” the Captain said, handing them to Colton, “I’ll be right back with the drinks.”
Theo reached out to help, and divided the food into four portions, handing everyone a plate. Sitting back, he looked at Norman and smiled—fish was on the menu today.
~/~/~/~/~
Logan stirred as the car slowed down and, as he looked around, he realized they’d reached their destination.
But Fort Williams wasn’t a place he could shift; it was too built up and had too many humans around.
Hoping Kieran had an idea, he gently shook him and said, “Mo anan cara, wake up, we’re here. ”
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Kieran sat upright, peering out the windows and came to the same conclusion his mate had—they needed to find a secluded spot, away from human eyes.
It would have been easier if it were night, but Kieran wasn’t going to wait for darkness because he was worried about Fionn’s father returning early.
Consulting their spirit, Kieran gave the driver the name of a remote wooded area outside of town.
He was hoping that with the rainy weather Fort Williams was experiencing, few if any humans would be outside today.
After telling the driver to go back to town and wait for them until they called, Kieran led Logan deep into the forest where they eventually reached a large clearing.
Turning to face Logan, Kieran said, “Macushla, once you shift, we will only be able to communicate using our mind link…remember that. Now after you shift, close your eyes, and wait until you feel Fionn’s presence.
Since there aren’t any other dragons in Scotland, it won’t be a problem zeroing in on him.
Let me know when you’ve done this, and I’ll climb onto your back. Then we can go. Any questions?”
“Yeah, I don’t know how to fly.”
“Trust me, it’s second nature to a dragon. Don’t think about how to do it, just think of flying and it will happen.”
“Uhmm, if you say so. Now I understand I will feel him but how do I locate him?”
“It’s hard to explain but the easiest analogy is radar…the closer you get the stronger the presence.”
“You mean dragons feel the presence of other dragons all the time? Isn’t that annoying? It would be to me.”
Rolling his eyes, Kieran said, “They learn to tune it out when they’re young unless they need to use it. Now chop, chop! Say Gold Dragon.”
“Back up, babe, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Kieran moved to the edge of the forest, waiting, eager to see the transformation of his mate.
Logan stared at his mate while saying, “Gold Dragon.” As before, when he’d shifted to a Sun Bear, Logan could feel his body changing, but this time he was also growing taller and, by the time the change had finished, Logan was sixteen feet high.
Moving his head around, Logan was able to see his wings, legs and even his tail when he moved it within his line of sight.
Stretching out his body and wings, Logan felt the power contained in a dragon body.
Now, since he had the ability to fly, he was eager to try it, that was, until he heard his mate in his head telling him to focus.
Remembering what Kieran had told him, he closed his eyes and waited, not knowing exactly what to expect.
At first there was nothing and Logan feared they were too late.
But hoping that wasn’t the case, he purged his mind of all other thoughts and searched for a sign the boy was still alive.
Babe, let our spirit help you find Fionn.
How?
Tell it what you are looking for.
Logan found their spirit and asked for help and then suddenly, there it was, clear and strong. Relieved that they weren’t too late, he told his mate to climb up on his back and grab hold near his neck as he lowered his body to the ground.
Babe the signal is very strong. Does that mean Fionn is close to us?
Yes, get up in the air and circle this clearing. It will be easy to figure out what direction to head for. Bopping Logan’s head, Kieran added. And no fancy flying stunts…remember your pregnant mate is on your back.
Snorting, Logan was startled to see flames coming out of his nose, which he thought was pretty fucking cool. Jackson is going to be so freaking jealous.
Yes, yes, twin competition, got it. Later!
Let’s get the show on the road. Kieran held on tightly as he felt Logan’s broad shoulders bunch up when his wings opened and started to flap.
He looked from side to side and saw Logan increasing his wings’ power as they slowly left the ground.
Kieran squeaked as his body shifted slightly when Logan’s body was fully extended and they circled the clearing.
Got it babe, hang on, he isn’t too far. He straightened out and headed due north, slowly gaining speed as he became more comfortable in his new body.
Concentrating on keeping his mate safe, Logan flew low, just above the trees, always keeping an eye out for a place he could set down in case Kieran was in trouble.
Luckily, they encountered no problems and soon were circling another clearing, checking it out before landing in front of an opening in a mountain.
Kieran’s pink cheeks reflected his excitement at his first dragon ride.
Now he knew what Oracle meant when she told them they should have some fun.
Once they got back home, there was definitely going to be more fun in the future.
Scrambling off Logan, Kieran stopped and listened to see if anyone was close by.
Babe, I’m going in to get Fionn, I want you to wait here and stand guard.
Let me know if you can feel any other dragons.
I can shift and go in with you.
No, Fionn is shackled and weak. I’ll be okay. If his father shows up, it would be better if you’re already in your dragon form. Now don’t forget the spells you can use, macushla. If he does show up, try not to kill him until I can get to the bottom of this.
I can’t promise that babe because if he attacks you and our unborn pup, I will take whatever action I feel is necessary to protect you.
I know. I love you, macushla.
Ditto. Logan kept his eyes on Kieran entering the cave until he could no longer see his mate then, turning his back to the cave, cast a shield spell, hoping the invisible energy wall would keep them both safe.
Once Kieran was far enough into the cave and daylight gone, he turned on his phone’s flashlight. He had no idea how deep Fionn was in the cave, but hopefully, he’d find him before his battery gave out.
Gingerly stepping around loose rocks, Kieran stopped every so often, listening to see if he could hear Fionn.
Deeper and deeper he went, a shiver going up his spine as he thought back to Arald’s and the cave that eventually gave him and his friends their freedom.
He hoped his luck would hold in helping Fionn find his freedom.
It had been at least half an hour since he entered the cave and still no sign of the boy, but Kieran continued, trusting his mate that this was the right place.
Suddenly he could hear the faint sound of water ahead and wondered if Fionn was close enough to drink it.
If he was, that could explain why he was still alive.
Picking up his pace, he raised his voice and yelled Fionn’s name several times, before pausing to hear if there was a response.
Kieran kept walking, the sound of trickling water louder now, but still no answer to his calls.
His concern was rising, wondering what he was going to find, when suddenly his wolf hearing picked up a faint voice.
Kieran walked as fast as the uneven ground would allow, knowing the last thing he needed was to injure himself.
Looking down and carefully stepping around a small pile of rocks, he looked up, startled as he came face to face with not one, but two shifters—a dragon and a wolf.
“Thank goodness you found us. The boy is in bad shape and needs a doctor. I can help if you free me. The keys are on the far wall. Please hurry! I don’t think he has much time left.”