Sarah was torn between wanting to smack the living daylights out of Cole and kissing him for all she was worth. Whatever game he was playing with Claire, she was not in the mood for it. When he kissed the woman, albeit on the cheek, something inside of her growled and shouted mine. It took everything she had to walk past them without showing an ounce of emotion.
“Are you ready to go?” she snapped when he bounded down the stairs of The Phony Sword.
In an effort to make amends for his foolish actions, Cole slowly approached Sarah, lifted her chin with his index finger, looked directly into her beautiful, emerald eyes and said, “I’m sorry. I promise, it’s not what you think. I was simply thanking Claire for all of her help.”
Doing her best to act unaffected by his confession, she simply shrugged her shoulders and said, “Your affairs are none of my business. Are you ready to go?”
Cole knew when to shut up and not push the subject. Therefore, instead of arguing with his feisty redhead, he simply nodded and shifted into his dragon.
Sarah let out a soft gasp the moment Cole had fully shifted. He was the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. His beautiful, red wings that almost spanned the length of The Phony Sword were sexy. She couldn’t wait to be wrapped in his embrace again. When they were flying, she felt safe for the first time in a long time, but she wouldn’t let him know that regardless of the danger. Once again, he scooped her up and they took flight. It was invigorating and by the time they arrived at their destination, she was hot, bothered and a little breathless in the most pleasurable way.
Unlike their initial trip to Sin City, it didn’t take long for the rest of the gang to show up. Cole couldn’t help but wonder if they had enlisted the help of a little Magic. However, he had to admit when everyone piled out of Fabio’s Love Machine and were accounted for, he released a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he had been holding.
Zelda was the last off the bus with a tub of Kentucky Fried Chicken in her hand, drowned in marshmallow cream and pickle juice if his senses were on point. “You have some explaining to do?” she said in a murderous voice to Sarah before walking in the house.
“Don’t let her scare you,” Zara said. “We’ve quickly learned that she gets cranky and likes to blow shit up when she’s hungry, which is the reason we stopped at KFC. Let her eat a few more bites and then she’ll act a little more civilized. She is eating for three after all,” Zara professed with a smirk.
“I heard that Zara,” Zelda yelled from the kitchen.”
“I intended for you to hear me, sister dearest,” Zara quickly replied.
“Don’t make me pull out the wire hangers, little sis.
Unfazed by her sister’s rant, Zara simply rolled her eyes, put her arm around Sarah and escorted her into the house. Once they were all seated, a strange woman dressed in aqua green parachute pants, a Flashdance ripped pink shirt, Niki Air Pythons and one-hundred rubber bracelets on her wrists appeared in a cloud of purple smoke with sparkles. She wasn’t sure why the soundtrack to Desperately Seeking Susan was playing, but had to admit the strange woman dressed in 80s attire had piqued her curiosity.
“Now that everyone’s here, start talking Sarah,” Zelda said between bites of her KFC.
“The Dark Warlock you met today is my father, Jacob O’Malley. Before my mother passed away and he started dabbling in Dark Magic, he used to own the largest shipping and export business in the country. In fact, he still does to my knowledge.”
“What does he want with you?” Zara asked.
“My father has always used Magic to excel in business transactions. However, when my mother passed away, he became greedier.”
“I don’t understand. What does his business have to do with you?” Cole asked, temporarily interrupting her train of thought.
Looking directly at Cole, she finally said, “My mother was a dragon and immortal like you, or so we thought. I’m positive my father was slowly poisoning her with the green, slimy substance I caught him putting into her drink.”
Just the mere mention of the green, slimy substance that had killed her Aunt Hildy made Zelda see red. “Where did he get it from?” she asked in a deadly voice.
“I-I don’t know. My mother discovered what he was doing and before she died, transferred her power to me. She told me never to trust him and escape as soon as I could because he was dangerous. So, I did.”
“Sarah, if I understand you correctly, then you have your mother’s dragon powers and your father wants them so he can become immortal,” the strange woman in the 80s outfit stated matter of fact.
“Yes. He wants to control the international waters because whoever controls them will corner the market. Moreover, the longer he lives, the longer he has to build his fortune.”
“From the look of him today, he’s doing more than just dabbling in Dark Magic,” Fabio said. “I don’t know if Zelda will be strong enough to defeat him the next time.”
“She won’t be fighting him alone,” Mac said, as everyone in the room nodded in agreement.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I can handle my father. He won’t hurt me.”
“I beg to differ,” Cole snapped. “The man you knew as your father disappeared the moment he started practicing Dark Magic. He’s no longer thinking straight. The only thing on his mind is getting your power regardless of the cost.”
“Have you tried to shift since your mother passed away?” Zoe asked.
“No. I thought if I tried to shift, it would make it easier for my father to take my powers.”
“Oh, dear. You couldn’t have been more wrong,” a voice came from out of nowhere.
“Who said that?”
“I did. Look to your left and you’ll see me.”
When Sarah looked to the left, she saw an iridescent woman with red hair who looked a lot like Zara and her sisters. “Who are you?”
“I’m Hildy. The triplets’ aunt and the former Shifter Whisperer of Assjacket, WV.”
“Shifter what?”
“Shifter Whisperer. It means the old hag used to heal shifters in her glory days,” Fabio replied.
“Piss off douche knocker. Just because you’re shagging Baba Love doesn’t mean I won’t temporarily freeze your sorry ass.”
“Don’t mind them. You’ll quickly discover that they’re not happy unless they’re insulting one another,” Zara said.
“He started it first,” Hildy whined.
“Point taken Aunt Hildy. Now, why are you here?” Zoe asked in an effort to regain control of the situation.
“I’m here because Baba Yo Pain In My Ass summoned me. What’s up Red?” Hildy asked, unfazed by Baba Yaga’s scowl.
“Since I know you and Chuck were ease dropping, you already know the gist of the problem.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Sarah here needs to shift before she becomes weaker and loses her power all together. Believe it or not Missy, not shifting has made you more vulnerable to your asshole of a father, instead of stronger.”
“How do you know that?”
Sighing heavily, Hildy said, “Because I’m the former Shifter Wanker of Assjacket, WV. I know all about shifters and not shifting doesn’t make you stronger, especially for a dragon as powerful as your mother.”
“You knew my mother?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, I was too late to save her. The slimy, green poison your father had been slipping to her had already taken its toll and there was nothing I could do. I’m so sorry for your loss, my dear.”
“Thank you. She was an amazing mother and I miss her something fierce.”
“I’m sure you do child, which is even more reason for you to let us help you. Your father gets stronger every day the more he immerses himself in Dark Magic. Trying to reason with him at this point is out of the question. He has only one goal in mind and that’s to become immortal, even if it means killing you to do it.”
“Who are you people really and how do you know all of this?” Sarah inquired.
“Elvis over there is our father, a warlock and a healer. The 80s reject standing next to him is Baba Yaga and the most powerful witch in the universe, believe it or not. Zelda is the current Shifter Whisperer and took over when Aunt Hildy was murdered by our mother, the Honey Badgers and her boyfriend vampire. The handsome, brooding man beside her is Mac, her mate, a wolf shifter and King of the shifters. The bride is my older sister Zoe and the handsome man sitting next to her is Nicolai, her husband, mate and hybrid.”
“Hybrid?”
“Yes, not only is he a Warlock, he’s also a Shifter. A black panther to be exact. The sexy man sitting next to me is my mate. Stefano, who is also a hybrid like his brother, Nicolai. The three cats over there licking their nads are Fat Bastard, Boba Fett, and Jango Fett. They’re Zelda’s familiars. Although you know Max and Jax, what you don’t know is that they’re Zoe’s familiars, which is the reason they are so taken with her. I believe the Goddess sent them to you so that you would eventually meet us. The handsome hunk next to Aunt Hildy is her mate, Chuck, who is a Bear Shifter and the lovely woman in the corner is Zoe’s Aunt Viola who also happens to be a witch.”
“Okay,” Sarah said hesitantly.
“The stubborn man you’ve been fighting with since the moment you met is Cole, my best friend. As you know Cole is a red dragon, my familiar, my brother and like it or not, your mate.”
“Zara, that wasn’t for you to tell,” Baba Yaga exclaimed.
“Hey, someone needed to tell her. It’s obvious Cole has screwed up and landed himself in the dog house.”
“How did you know that?” Cole asked.
“Have you looked at the vibes surrounding you two? Your emotions are like a rainbow. One minute its vibrant and bright and the next, there’s a dark cloud hanging over you. Since the cloud seems a little darker than usual, I could only reason that you did something to piss Sarah off.”
“Zip it!” Cole demanded.
“Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“Thank you for your thorough analysis, Zara, but we need to get back to business,” Hildy said. “We need to teach Sarah to shift before it’s too late.”
“I still don’t understand how you know all of this,” Sarah said.
“Listen carefully, my dear. When Baba Love and I were younger, we learned our mentor, the Jezibaba, was not only the most powerful witch in the universe, but she was also a dragon shifter. However, when she tried to suppress her true nature and destiny, her powers started to wane, not only as a shifter, but also as a witch. It wasn’t until she sucked it up and started shifting that her powers were restored.”
“Seriously?” Sarah asked in disbelief.
“Seriously. Like you, the dragon power didn’t originally belong to her, but instead, was gifted to her by the Goddess. Thus, if you don’t want your father to steal your powers, we need to teach you how to shift and prepare you for the upcoming battle. I assure you, it’s going to be a doozy.”
Overwhelmed by the events of the day and everything she’d just been told, Sarah quietly said, “Excuse me. I need some fresh air.”
Cole knew he should have let Zara or one of her sisters go after Sarah, but when his protective instincts kicked in, he had no choice but to go after her. She belonged to him and it was killing him to see her upset. Following her scent, he tracked her down to the swing under the old Oak tree. The feisty woman from earlier had completely disappeared and in her place was a scared, upset, confused woman who was still as beautiful as ever.
He gently lifted her off the bench, sat down and repositioned her in his lap. When she snuggled closer, he let out a sigh of relief. In a soothing voice, he softly said, “Let it out, sweetheart. You’ll feel better.”
Sarah hadn’t cried since the day of her mother’s funeral, so it was like opening the flood gates. When she finally calmed down, Cole heard her whisper into his chest, “I don’t know who to trust. I’ve been alone for a long time. I thought I could handle all of this by myself, but if what you and your friends say is true, I’m in way over my head.”
“Sarah. Baby. Look at me.”
When she leaned back and he could see her beautiful, sorrowful, green eyes, he said, “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what it must have been like losing your mother at such a young age and then have your father turn on you.”
Cole understood about being alone. He also knew what it felt like to be unwanted. He had been alone for years until he met Zara and they became each other’s family.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“I know, baby. But, I promise that nothing will harm a hair on your head. I know this sounds crazy, especially since we just met, but you belong to me. I will do whatever it takes to protect you, even from your father.”
“Is it true? Are we mates? What does that mean, anyway?”
“It means that I belong to you, the same way you belong to me. You’re that special person that the Goddess made just for me and vice versa.”
“So, wanting to strangle one another ninety percent of the time is normal?” she inquired.
“Nah! I only want to strangle you about twenty percent of the time. The other eighty percent I want to wrap you in my arms and keep you safe.”
“Is this the eighty percentile we’re experiencing right now?”
“Mm-hmm,” Cole said as he leaned down and took her mouth in a sensuous kiss. Her lips were soft and pliant, which made him want to devour her even more. When they were together like this, she made him yearn for things he had only dreamed of as a child before his life went to shit. In his mind, heart and soul, she was rainbows, hope and Happily Ever After.