23. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Ben opened his eyes to a ceiling that didn’t match the stained motel ceiling he’d been staying in. Where was he? It took him a moment to remember that he was in the clan house. The house—who was he kidding, mansion —that apparently he owned.
How was that even possible? He was some sort of gazillionaire, which felt like a gut punch, but finding out he was a dragon? That was an uppercut to the face that left him slack-jawed and woozy. Now he needed to slog through his uncertainty.
Remembering he had a little visitor watching over him, he turned and found her conked out on the couch. What he hadn’t expected was that she would be leaning up against Tessa, who was also sleeping.
Something tweaked in his chest. Lily was innocence personified, and Tessa? He was afraid to think too much about what she was to him. After what had happened at the motel, he wasn’t sure if he would see her again. But he was damn happy she was here with him. Too happy, which meant he was thinking about her.
He didn’t know who he was. Sure, he had a name and a family he didn’t recognize and a house now, but that didn’t help him to figure out who Adam Simonson was. Not really. So any ideas of what the gorgeous, smart, sassy woman on the couch meant to him would have to wait.
Tessa stirred. He wasn’t sure if his staring holes into her had woken her, but she blinked slowly and smiled when she saw him watching her.
He held up a finger to his lips, and she looked down at Lily before resting her hand on her head for a gentle caress. She rearranged Lily on the couch and stood slowly before walking over to the bed.
Ben sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Are you two babysitting me?”
Tessa shook her head. “Nope. I think Lily was watching out for both of us. Are you feeling better after your nap?”
He nodded. “A little. Still feel like I was hit by a truck.”
She flinched. “I’m sorry for contributing to that.”
He couldn’t take her guilt on top of everything else. “Don’t. You were protecting your friends and family. There is no need to apologize.”
“Turns out I was protecting our friends and family. I can’t imagine how overwhelmed you must be right now. If I were in your shoes, I would probably be running around screaming.”
He couldn’t picture her cowering for anything. “I doubt that. You were pretty calm when dealing with me at the motel.”
She shrugged. “I was on a mission. I can have tunnel vision. You should have seen me when I found out dragons exist. I threatened to bludgeon Eric with a lamp. Swung it like a baseball bat. I threatened him once with a golf club too when he was misbehaving.”
Ben chuckled before checking to see if they were disturbing Lily. She hadn’t moved. “You didn’t have your Taser back then?”
“No, I graduated to more serious weaponry once I knew my best friend was marrying into a dragon clan.” She held up her hand. “Not to use on your clan, but on anyone who messed with the people I love.”
He understood, even though he hadn’t realized he had a family until a few hours ago. “The photos at your apartment?”
“Yes. You haven’t had a chance to meet them yet. My best friend, Megan, is married to Eric, and the baby you saw is your niece, Arabella. Bella for short.”
He swallowed as the family he didn’t know continued to grow. “It’s a lot to absorb.”
“Absolutely. Dr. Murphy said you need to rest and eat. Your cook, Marilyn, is in the kitchen making all your favorites.” She pursed her lips. “Or what used to be your favorites; we’ll have to see what you think now.”
“I have a cook?” he blurted.
“Yes. And she’s a great one. She makes amazing food, but her desserts are an out-of-body experience.”
He smiled at her enthusiasm. “You spend a lot of time here?”
She ran her hand along the blanket. “Yes. When Eric married Megan, I told him he wasn’t getting rid of me. And after Bella was born, I doubled down.”
All the names and people. It was making his head spin.
When he didn’t respond, Tessa continued. “Why don’t I call downstairs and have Marilyn send something up for you to eat. You have to be starving by now.”
He nodded, and she walked over to a small panel by the door and clicked a button and ordered some food.
“I have an intercom?” He needed to stop blurting out everything that came to mind.
Tessa laughed as she walked back to the bed. “You do. This house is humongous. Makes things easier.”
He pulled in a shaky breath. How was he going to fit in here? Her expression gentled and she rested her hand on his arm. “I know this is overwhelming. But you’ll figure things out, and you are so lucky to have your family. They’re amazing.”
The warmth of her hand gave him some comfort. “Even Eric? You seem to threaten him a lot.”
She shrugged. “Someone has to keep him in line. Now I have a question for you.”
Would he have an answer? “Shoot.”
“Do you want to be called Ben or Adam?”
He sat back. “I hadn’t thought about it. Wasn’t sure if I had a choice.”
“You always have a choice. If you are more comfortable being Ben, then that’s what we’ll call you until you decide otherwise.”
“Will it upset the others?” They’d had enough to deal with because of him.
Tessa shook her head. “They’re so happy you’re back, they would call you Puff the Magic Dragon if you wanted them to.”
He smiled. “Why can I remember old song references and not my own past?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
He liked her use of the word we. “I’d like to be Ben for right now.”
She squeezed his arm. “Then that’s what we’ll call you.”
Her hand was like a brand, and he wanted her to stay close. But he couldn’t think too much about that. He needed to figure out who he was before he could let someone else in.
An hour later he felt like a new man. He had some great food while Tessa and Lily helped him eat the cookies Marilyn had brought with the meal. Then they’d left him alone so that he could take a hot shower.
He studied himself in the foggy bathroom mirror for a long time before getting dressed in his jeans and flannel shirt. He needed to wash the few clothes he had. Would they let him do that, or would someone else do it for him? Having people cooking and cleaning was a strange idea to wrap his head around. Of course it was way down on the strange meter compared to the other things he had learned so far.
Now that he was home, surrounded by family, shouldn’t he remember something? Feel something?
He headed downstairs, not sure who or what he was looking for. Hell, he needed a map to find his way around the place. He walked toward the rear of the house and found the door leading to the back deck. He saw Tessa, Eric, and Sienna outside, and they appeared to be having a serious discussion. He took a deep breath and opened the door.
They stopped talking when they caught sight of him.
Sienna took a step toward him and then stopped as if afraid to get too close. “How are you feeling, Ad…Ben?”
“Better. It’s amazing what a little food, sleep, and a shower can do for you.” He looked at Tessa and she smiled.
“I see Tessa let you know that I want to be called Ben for now.” He tried to read their expressions. “I hope that’s okay with you? I don’t want to upset anyone.”
Eric nodded. “It’s fine. But don’t be surprised if we slip up and use the wrong name.”
The door opened and a woman carrying a baby came outside. He recognized them from the pictures in Tessa’s apartment. Eric wrapped his arm around her and kissed the baby on the head.
“Ben, this is my wife, Megan, and our daughter, Arabella.”
Megan smiled up at him. “I’ve heard so much about you from Eric and Sienna. I’m so happy you’re home safe.”
“Thank you.” He smiled at Bella. “Your Aunt Tessa told me how special you are.”
“Bah!” Bella said before clapping.
They all chuckled.
“Are you clapping at being called special?” Megan said, which got Bella giggling.
He blinked. He hadn’t just lost his memories. He’d lost time with his family and being a part of Bella’s life. Ben must have spaced out for a moment since everyone was staring at him. “Sorry. It’s a lot to take in.”
“We understand,” Eric said. “We’re here for you. But we can back off if you need us to.”
Ben shook his head. “No. It’s okay. I’m just trying to reconcile who I am with who you are telling me I am, if that makes sense?”
“Yes,” Tessa said, and he locked on to her for a moment to calm his nerves.
“Do you think it would help if you tell us where you’ve been the last fifteen months?” Sienna asked.
Ben nodded and launched into the story of stumbling through the woods and Walter saving him, leading to his decision to figure out who he was. His only clues being the duffel bag full of money and the paper he found with John’s and Mia’s names.
They listened with wide eyes and didn’t interrupt him, which he appreciated. “Do you know why I lost my memory? Do you think it’s due to the attack in the cave?”
Eric frowned. “You lost your memory from a memory spell.”
Ben wondered when his head was going to explode. “I remember you started to tell me about a witch and some sort of spell in the car on the way here, but honestly at that point I shut down.”
Eric’s expression softened. “Understandable. We didn’t know that witches existed until recently ourselves. When I was attacked by one, you flew in front of me and took the brunt of the spell. I had some residual effects from it and lost some memories, but I still remembered who I was.”
“And that you were a dragon,” Ben said.
Eric flinched. “Yes. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you.”
“I thought I was some sort of monster. Afraid I would hurt Lily or someone else. Wait…you said I flew in front of you?” He swallowed. “So I have wings.”
Eric smiled. “You do.”
“Do you know how I ended up in the cave if I was hit by the spell?”
“Mom gave you a pendant necklace that you always wore. It’s magical and we think it delayed the memory spell from setting in at first. It’s possible you escaped after the witch attacked us and went to the cave to hide out, and the other dragon tracked you down. But after you were attacked in the cave and thought you were dying, you took the necklace off and left it with a note telling me that you had failed. Once you removed the necklace, the memory spell kicked in. Maybe in your confusion, you flew away in a panic and ended up in the woods near Walter’s house.”
Ben’s heart kicked around in his chest. Did they have a way to get back his memories? “Where is this necklace?”
“I have it but Dr. Murphy said for you to take it easy and to not wear the necklace yet. We also won’t be trying to release your dragon.”
Magical pendants? Release his dragon? Holy shit. No, he wasn’t up for that at all.
“Would you show me your wings?” he blurted before he could stop himself.
Eric’s eyes widened. “Yes. Are you sure you’re up for it today?”
Was he? Ben nodded.
“Okay, that’s our clue to head inside,” Megan said. “If Bella sees Daddy change, I will never get her to sleep. Night, everyone.”
Eric kissed Megan and then Bella on the head before she left.
“Okay. You might want to take a seat.”
Both Sienna and Tessa nodded at Eric’s suggestion, so he sat on the end of the chaise lounge.
Eric stood in front of him. “We have the ability to increase our sight and hearing.” His pupils changed.
Ben jerked. “My eyes have done that too, but I haven’t been able to control it.”
“What about claws?” Eric asked as they appeared at the ends of his fingers.
“Uh…same. They come and go.”
“We can work on that when you’re feeling stronger. Our wings will tear through our shirts, and you can run out of shirts quickly.” He removed his shirt. “You ready?”
Ben swallowed before nodding.
Scarlet wings unfurled from Eric’s back and stood out in sharp contrast to the forest backdrop behind him.
Ben was glad he was sitting down because he was having trouble breathing. Eric launched into the air, and Ben fell back, his elbows holding him up, as Eric’s wings carried him higher.
What the hell…
Tessa sat next to him. “The first time I saw him do this, I almost lost it myself. It’s surreal.”
After another minute Eric landed on the deck and furled his wings. Ben stood and turned him around to see his normal back.
“I know, it’s hard to believe,” Sienna said.
“I…” And he didn’t continue because what was there to say? He could do this too?
Eric smiled as he reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head. He took a seat and gestured for Ben to sit down again, which was just as well since his legs were wobbling like a newborn colt.
“That’s as far as we can turn now. We’ve lost the ability to be a full dragon.”
“Like in the movies?”
“Yep. Scales and all. Fire-breathing too,” Eric said.
Ben sucked in a breath. “Why?”
“I don’t know if you need to hear all of this tonight.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “I just saw you sprout wings. I think I can handle it.”
Eric chuckled. “True.” His smile melted away. “The change to our dragon is due to a four-hundred-year-old curse.”
“Of course it is,” Ben responded deadpan.
Tessa laughed. “You are handling that much better than the rest of us.”
“I don’t know if I have anything left in me to be shocked.”
Eric launched into the story. Witches and dragons fighting, a blood curse to destroy dragons that backfired and has slowly destroyed all magic. And apparently he had been trying to break the curse, which led to him being attacked in the cave.
This is what he got for saying he couldn’t be shocked anymore.
Was it too late to go back and live in the woods with Walter?