DRAGON'S GAP: Set Includes Stories 1-3 Plus Love's Catalyst Read online

  “Yep trying it for size. What do you think?”

  June squinted and asked. “Isn’t it your real color?”

  Claire had a penchant for coloring her hair often. “Yep just thought I would go natural for a while.”

  “Well, I like it!” Sage declared and even Claire could tell she lied.

  June murmured. “Such a bad liar.”

  With a grin Claire asked before Sage and June got into it. “Yours Sage?” Indicating the baby in her arms.

  “Yep she is, we are on our way to visit the healer.”

  Claire eyed the baby and smiled. “She is cute. So you are home now then, for good?”

  “Yep, deals done.”

  June sighed as she said. “You sound happy about it.”

  “You know I really am.” She smiled to let them know she meant it. Changing the subject Claire asked. “Do you two know what it means that the castle is here?”

  Claire as usual was a fount of information. How she learnt everything she knew, she never told. She always named an informant, but Sage had her suspicions. Although she kept them to herself, she suspected there was more to Claire than met the eye.

  Inside the medical room were the healers from the castle. Sharm Kingsley, chief healer with his assistant Ella Field. They had arrived a day ago with the appearance of the castle. After orienting themselves and the healers from the castle and dragon’s units with the healers at Dragon's Gap. They were now in the process of acquainting themselves with the actual working of the treatment center and seeing if a better system was needed. So far they had found no faults, the unit ran like a well-oiled hospital.

  The difference from a hospital environment and the unit was there was warmth about the unit. Whether it was the color scheme or the homely feeling they could not say exactly but whatever it was, it worked.

  Everyone was relaxed and happy recognizing the importance of the patient and treatment if needed. And the settlement or placement of each person, whether they were an adult or child.

  Sharm liked what he had been seeing so far. The reason they were here at this time of the day was that they were on a fact finding mission for the early morning hours. To see if the unit ran differently between midnight and dawn. So far they had found it did not it seemed as if forth unit care was care. He was intrigued when he heard the females talking and stopped to listen.

  June answered for them both. “No! Claire what does it mean that the castle has magically appeared?”

  “It means the royal family are in residence. The castle only appears when the Dragon Lord demands it. Apparently the whole family is here, and they are staying.”

  Sage laughed as she made eyes at the baby in her arms, absently asking. “Who makes up the family exactly?”

  Claire shrugged. “According to my source, the Dragon Lord and his parents who are the former Dragon Lord and his mate. Oops! I mean shadow. The former Dragon Lord is now the Commander of the Hunters. They are as we all know, like the humans commandos or rangers. They have three other sons. One is the head honcho for the healers. He also is a regular medical doctor or so I am told. Another is the second Commander of the Shields. Now they are very scary warriors. The other is just a unit captain in the Shields. Not that there is anything just about the Shields. Apparently they are very, very, dangerous. The dragons think of them as boogie men, if you see them, it is too late you are dead or so I am told. No one is sure what they actually do. It is all very mysterious. Anyway, it means life at Dragon’s Gap is set to change again, more male dragons arriving. Dragon’s period, also the Shields along with the Hunters may get stationed here from now on. So Dragon’s Gap may be getting ready to say, hello to the world.”

  “Interesting!” Sage said thoughtfully.

  June crossed her arms. “Just so we know, who is this source?”

  And before Claire could answer Sage and June said at the same time. “Donald!”

  Claire smiled. “I can neither confirm nor deny that!”

  “Goddess if that prick hits on me one more time. I swear I am going to tear off his arm and beat him with it!” Complained June. Sage jiggled the baby as she started to grumble, saying. “A bit violent for you, June?”

  She growled at Sage, causing her and Claire to laugh. Sage said. “The trouble is he is so damn good with the kids, they really like him.”

  June sighed. “I know but he’s annoying when he won’t keep his hands to himself.”

  “I’ll talk to him.” Sage assured her. “Leave him to me.”

  “Fine but tell him to keep his damn hands to himself. I’m not the only one he thinks he can touch.”

  “I second that, although I think I frighten him. Maybe it is the clothes!” Claire said with an evil smile, which made June and Sage laugh with her.

  Sharm frowned as he listened and felt his dragon stir in annoyance, Donald was one of his juniors. He had sent him ahead of them because he was so good with the young ones. He had never considered that he would act the way he did, Donald was somewhat of a purist, so his behavior seemed out of character. Ella had a pinched look on her face and Sharm wondered if he had indeed missed something in Donald’s character. He would look into it, and he and Ella would have a talk soon. Just then his attention was grabbed again when he heard his name mentioned.

  “Forget Donald.” Claire said. “Listen you guys, Betsy told me she saw the new chief healer Sharm Kingsley himself. Walking with a very beautiful female who was obviously a dragon and they are not mated.” At their looks, she grinned. “Betsy knows stuff like that!”

  They both snorted their disbelief for this statement. Claire grumbled. “Aww shut up! Anyway, Betsy reckons he was so gorgeous. She almost fainted. When I said that all the dragons were mouth-watering beautiful. She said the female with him was tall, slim and gorgeous, with long brown hair and startling brown eyes.”

  Sage asked. “What does that mean, startling brown eyes, either they are eyes or they are not.”

  June nodded. “Yeah what she said.”

  Claire grinned, “I think she was stuck for words. She just said she was gorgeous, more so than the average dragon apparently.”

  June said. “Oh well, okay, that makes sense. I suppose unless she has a startled look on her face all the time. Which would be weird for her.”

  Both Sage and Claire looked at her. Claire said. “I thank the Goddess every day I am not in your brain.”

  June said seriously. “You could not handle my brain.”

  Sage whispered loudly to Claire. “I think she means that!”

  Claire rolled her eyes and told them. “So Betsy said he was well over six foot tall. Muscular with long midnight black hair and has classically handsome features that scream GQ perfection and we would not be able to miss him. She also told me that all the males of the royal house look similar to him, even the dad. Apparently the males of the royal family are endowed from the tree of... O. M. G. Orgasmic pantie wetting gorgeousness!”

  Sharm shook his head at the description as his shoulders trembled partly embarrassed at being described like that and partly trying to hold back his laughter. He could not wait to tell his brothers.

  Ella covered her mouth with one hand while waving the other in front of her face trying to cool her embarrassed cheeks.

  They both grinned as they heard a female scoff. “Betsy is half blind. She thinks Donald is cute for goodness sake.”

  “Sage that is so wrong.” Claire said between laughs.

  “Really Claire, Betsy? Honestly, no-one is that gorgeous and do you even know what an orgasm is?” June asked while she tried to stifle her giggles.

  Claire huffed at the two females. “Rude! Just rude!”

  Sage asked. “Are there any female royal family?”

  Claire shook her head. “Only the mom. Like all the dragon families. No girl child. Sad really the mom must be lonely, you think?”

  June shrugged, “Maybe or maybe she likes it like that. You know Queen Bee, with all those males buzzing around
her.”

  Claire was shaking her head again. “Nah ah! I was told she is real nice, sweet even. Anyway, I have to get this one to bed.” She nodded to the small girl in her arms, who had her eyes closed. “And I’m off again.” She walked past them both heading to the outside door calling back cheerfully. “See yah all on the round about.”

  June and Sage together chorused as they watched her go. “See yah soon, stay safe!” Then they frowned at each other as they walked into the medical room, not noticing Sharm and Ella standing to the side. June broke first. “No one is that good-looking right?”

  Sage shrugged. “You have to admit the dragons we’ve met so far are pretty spectacular.”

  June pursed her lips but had no time to answer. As a little blonde haired girl started screaming. “MAMA…MAMA… MAMA...MAMAAAA!” While she ran towards them. Sage and June looked behind themselves to see who it was the toddler was calling for.

  Sharm and Ella had stepped closer when the little one had let out her first piercing cry, ready to intervene and protect her. Only to stop as the child flew towards the females, they watched as a short female passed a baby towards the other female. Whose eyes were wide as her mouth hung open in what looked like surprise. The little girl’s legs pumped hard as she ran. Eventually she must have thought she was within range or just knew the female would catch her as she threw her little chubby body into Sage’s waiting arms.

  June smiled. “Well of course. Sage, meet your daughter Molly. She has been waiting for you.”

  Smiling Sage lifted and hugged the little girl whose arms went around her neck. She looked up into Sage’s face and with an adorable frown on her own face, growled. “Mama gone,”

  Sage tried not to g as she apologized. “Sorry baby girl, Mama was getting your sister.”

  “Sista?”

  Sage said. “Auntie June has her.” They walked over to an examination table, and June laid the baby on the blanket saying. “When did I become an auntie?”

  “Oh shut up, like you wouldn't pout if you weren’t.”

  June grinned. “You know me so well.”

  The baby deciding she did not like the cold bed, promptly started to scream loudly causing Molly to yell at the top of her lungs. “Babbie cry! Babbie cry!”

  Sharm and Ella hurried over. Molly took one look at Sharm and Ella and stopped her screams. Sharm grinned at her and the cheeky little girl, battered her eyelashes at him and ducked her head into Sage’s shoulder. “Wow what a flirt!” Sage said to June, who snorted saying. “Huh, so not like her mother?”

  Sage gave a mock growl as she watched Sharm turn to the baby on the table who was starting to quieten. “Now little hatchling.” He cooed. “What is wrong with such a sweet little girl?” He went to touch her when June placed her hand on his arm.

  “Dude, you better rethink that move, if you do not want to lose that arm of yours.” June’s usual light honey tones were gone to be replaced with a hard growl.

  Ella tensed at the words, Sharm was about to explain who he was when Donald bustled over struggling to put his jacket on. The one the shifters and a few of the dragons secretly referred to as his butt kissing one.

  “What do you think you are doing?” He demanded of June and Sage, when he saw June had yet to remove her hand from Sharm. “Remove your hand female.” Addressing Sharm he said in his haughty voice. “I am so sorry Master Sharm.” He gave an indifferent nod to Ella when he said her name. “Ella.”

  June released her hold on Sharm, asking Donald. “You know these two?”

  Donald was almost puce with rage as he snarled. “Of course I do. This is Master Healer Sharm Kingsley and his assistant Ella Field.”

  Sage swung Molly into June’s arms, as she stepped up to Donald and slapped her hand against his chest pushing him back a foot. “Enough!” She snarled at him, her temper rising to the surface just a little enough to let those present know she was annoyed. “You don’t speak to her like that, if you had been where you were supposed to be, this would not have happened. You are at fault here healer, not June. Now back off.”

  Donald felt his face flame. He looked down into the angry, and deep blue eyes of the female who had dared to touch him and mentally took a stepped back. This was the witch Sage Harris. He, like most people was a little wary of her as she had a dangerous reputation. Whether it was justified or not he did not know but he did not want to test it to find out. He inclined his head. “Maybe so Lady Harris but Master Kingsley deserves the respect his position affords him.”

  “Of course he does! Healers should always be respected, but that does not warrant your tone and words to June. Healer Donald.”

  Into the tense silence June addressed Sharm and Ella. “Hello, my name is June Bradly and this is my friend, Sage Harris. The little girl in my arms is Molly and this one is…” She looked at Sage who said. “Damn!” As she pulled a piece of paper from her front pocket handing it to June who handed Molly back, sighing as she read it. “This would probably be helpful to the others.” She scanned the contents and called out to a young teenager as she was passing. “Nancy, can you give this to Erin she may need it for Sage’s pups?”

  “No problem June, you guys okay here?” She asked eyeing the three silent people with them. June and Sage grinned. “Never better.”

  The girl loped off, while Sage glared at June as she tapped her foot impatiently. “Waiting!”

  “Oh right!” June looked down at the quiet baby girl and softly said. “This here is Ava and she is five months old.”

  Sage grinned. “Ava, cute name.”

  June turned then to Sharm and Ella, who had waited patiently and found themselves being entertained by the females. “I am sorry, I never meant to be rude but a quick 101 on dealing with shifters. Especially around young ones that are their own or they are responsible for. Never ever touch them until you ask the parent or guardian first and have explained what you are wanting to do.”

  Sage explained further. “It is safer for you and the patient if it is done like that. This way no one gets hurt and by hurt I mean possibly dead from the guardian or parent.”

  June said kindly. “I am sure Donald briefed you all on that. It does take time to remember shifters revere healers but sometimes we are not rational about our young.”

  Ella covered her mouth and turned away. Sharm’s face remained impassive but his eyes twinkled with mirth. “Thank you ladies for the tutorial. Now as the subject of this lecture is working herself up for another round of screaming, may I examine her just to assure you and myself she is well?”

  Before Sage could give permission. Donald said. “Master Sharm, please allow me, there is no need for you to attend to this one!”

  Sharm’s eyes and voice flattened on hearing the slight distaste coloring Donald’s voice and displeasure was easily noticeable in his tones a he addressed him. “Thank you Donald, Ella and I are quite happy. We have yet to actually meet and examine anyone. Why don’t you go along to the castle and send Melchome down. You may have the rest of the day off.”

  “Oh, but my Lord.”

  “Now Donald! It is best, I think if you go.” He dismissed him as he raised one eyebrow at the baby, asking permission from Sage. She nodded and he with June’s help started to undress Ava. June said over her shoulder. “Sage there are new baby clothes and diapers in the cupboards over there.” She pointed to rows of cupboards that lined the far wall.

  Ella said. “I’ll get them.”

  Donald ignored now by the four adults but not Molly, who poked her tongue out at him as he slunk from the room. “Naughty girl.” Sage admonished but with little heat behind it as she watched the female dragon get the clothes. She really was very beautiful Sage thought as she watched her, she was reminded again of why Dragon’s Gap had opened its doors to the shifters.

  The race of dragons had been slowly heading towards extinction for hundreds of years. No females had been birthed in at least a hundred years or maybe longer that was a guarded secret or at least
she could not find out. Probably she thought they themselves did not know as no records had been kept correctly over the years. The accurate amount of time was a guess by their scientists.

  They knew the birth rate had decreased dramatically because; the scientist Sage had been assigned for orientation when she had first arrived, had been at pains to explain in detail. How dragons needed a soul shadow or what shifters referred to as a mate, to produce a child or hatchling. No hatchling had ever been born from a union of male and female unless it was a bonded mating. There was only ever one shadow for each dragon and there were virtually no unattached female dragons left. So acquiring a shadow was almost impossible. Sage understood that, small numbers of births equaled no chance of females being born. Which equaled no chance of a mating.

  Ella caught her staring as she came back with the articles of clothing, handing them to June, she asked Sage politely.

  “Can I help you?”

  Sage shook her head to clear the thoughts away, then nodded. “I was just wondering, you have got to be what twenty… twenty-five and I was under the impression there were no females dragons born for centuries.”

  “Well, that is true it has been a very long time since a female was born but like with all things, there are exceptions.” Ella did not explain that she was very much older than twenty or that she was apparently one of the lucky births.

  “Oh well yeah, I guess.” Sage felt something niggle at the back of her brain at Ella’s answer but did not pursue it, instead she smiled and said. “Betsy was right you are very beautiful.”

  Ella stilled as she processed Sage’s words. “I do not understand who this Betsy is, but I feel I should thank you and her.”

  Sage grinned. “No thanks needed, mind you?” She slyly asked having Ella’s full attention now. “Could you tell me are all the royal males, orgasmic gorgeous? As we have been led to believe?”

  Ella’s eyes almost bugged out of her head as she swung her gaze between the laughing eyes of Sage. Towards Sharm’s rigid back as he bent over the baby.

  As Sage strolled passed the stunned dragon, she whispered knowing the healer could hear. “Never mind an unfair question, considering you like us, have probably never met one.”