Page 41 of Lahaina Noon (Modern Legends of Dragons & Shadows #1)

Chapter 41

T he following afternoon, everyone gathered in the field at Bunny’s parents’ farm. It had been a hectic morning, and Bridget hadn’t seen Jorrie. When she finally spotted her, she positively sparkled. She smiled and snuck up behind her. “So, how was it?”

Jorrie jumped and turned around. “Bridge.” Her friend smiled. “I. LOVE. YOU!”

She hugged her. “Told ya.”

Liam strolled by just then, glancing over.

Bridget grinned at him, giving him a thumbs up.

He blushed at first, then came over and dipped her over his arm, giving her a big, noisy kiss. Both ladies laughed themselves silly.

Vaughn appeared. “Excuse me, Liam? May I ask why you are kissing my future wife?” Fortunately, he was smiling, knowing they were playing.

Liam turned, smiling back at him. “Because your mate is the reason I can do this!” He grabbed Jorrie, threw her over his arm in a similar dip and kissed her deeply. Cheers and wolf whistles echoed across the field. He slowly brought her back upright, but they continued with their kiss.

Bridget thought she was going to have to remind them to come up for air when they finally broke apart.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, and he pulled on one of her curls before strutting away, whistling. Jorrie sighed with deep satisfaction and wandered the other way, humming lightly.

Your work, I assume? Vaughn asked Bridget.

She grinned. They were already heading that way. I just gave them a nudge so we could avoid the huge cloud of pheromones when we walk past them.

Vaughn laughed, so who’s next on your matchmaking radar? Just then, Gabe and Bunny strolled past, hand in hand. Vaughn wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Oh, HELL no! Bridget replied. She looked around and saw Siobhan leaning against a tree, looking sad and a little lonely. She smiled.

Vaughn put his hands on her shoulders. “I wish you luck with that.” He sauntered away, laughing, to coordinate the take-off of a large contingent of dragons in the middle of the day. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she knew he could handle it.

Bridget ambled casually over to Siobhan and leaned against the tree with her.

Siobhan sighed. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t come over here and do whatever it is you were going to do. Don’t be cheerful, don’t ask my opinion about my brother and your friend, don’t try to set me up with anyone, and don’t try to give me any sympathy.” She crossed her arms.

Bridget continued to lean against the tree quietly. “Hmm. That’s a lot to unload. I can’t help but be cheerful, but I’ll do my best to be a downer around you. I don’t want your opinion about your brother and my friend. They’re happy, and that’s all that matters. I’m not going to set you up with anyone because you are too grumpy for me to offer up to anyone I care about, and I’m not giving you an ounce of sympathy, you ungrateful brat.” She stood in silence for a moment. “I just wanted to know if you’d read any good books lately.” Out of the corner of her eye, Bridget saw Siobhan slowly turn towards her in shock.

She heard a strange noise and realized Siobhan was giggling. She turned to face the girl, who began to belly laugh so hard that others dropped what they were doing to stare. It transformed her face, and she was stunning. Bridget mentally checked a point for herself on her internal scoreboard. “I’m waiting.”

The squads were ready to take off, and Bridget not only had a list of surprisingly interesting books to read, but Siobhan had loaned her a thriller she had just finished and recommended. She wondered if she could read while flying. Did one get carsick on the back of a dragon? Or would that be airsick? Dragon sick? She’d have to ask Vaughn. Speak of the devil, he strode over to her, his black hair gleaming in the Italian sun.

She was struck all at once; this amazing, gorgeous, and kind man was her soon-to-be husband. This man she’d lusted after, fantasized about, wanted for months; he loved her, and he was hers. He started to tell her something, but she grabbed him and kissed him soundly.

He smiled and brushed her hair from her face. “Not that I’m complaining, my love, but what was that for?”

She shrugged, “I just love you. I have a question, though. Do people get carsick on dragon back? Like, would that be air sick or?” Her questions continued until it was time to fly.

They were able to transform in groups this time as they had much more space to spread out. Since everyone knew what to expect, it went much faster than their previous group flight. Before you could say Holy Dragon Shimmer, they were off.

Vaughn’s group took the lead flight as they had the vehicles parked near the rendezvous point. They were going to secure and ward the site, then get more vehicles for the remainder of the force coming back with them. Bridget learned that Vaughn had been counting on bringing back a team, so had already made arrangements. The man was a wonder.

This time, they were one dragon short of the original squad, as Ivan was long gone. Bridget noticed that Vaughn looked towards the spot where his father should have been, then turned away, a cold look in his eyes. The strange but kind Circe had offered to fill that spot instead and carry the baggage. Bridget learned that Circe was a silver dragon, which was why she looked like Killian to an extent. The silvery hair was a common trait.

Once they landed, the men went to get the additional vehicles, while the women and Gabriel stayed to direct the remaining groups in and set up wards. The next squad to land consisted of Hilde in the lead, with Bunny’s parents, and Bunny herself. Her mother was a dragon, a brown like her daughter, her father a wielder.

There were also two red dragons from the island. Their names were Lorenzo and Tomi. They were very serious about their duties and didn’t speak much. Bridget hoped she could keep their names straight.

The first round of SUVs began to pull up, and gear was being loaded as the next few squads flew in. This continued for several waves until she spied Wu, a green dragon, and another group of reds that Bridget had met just that morning. She waved them in and counted. That should be everyone. Combined with their team in Dallas, they now had a significant fighting force. Soon, everything would be loaded, and they could go.

Bridget stood halfway down the point looking out at the ocean as a sudden cold wind whipped in and churned the waves. She heard someone calling her name and figured it must be time to leave. But she was drawn to the sea. It seemed that’s where the voice was coming from. She walked to the end of the point and leaned over the railing. She couldn’t see anything below but gray water as the waves got rougher and began to crash against the rocks, sending a chilly spray in the air.

The wind picked up, whipping into a frenzy and her hair was blown all around. It seemed time slowed down, and everything stopped. She was waiting for someone or something but couldn’t explain it. She heard Vaughn screaming her name and turned slowly as if she were stuck in syrup or glue. He looked like he was running, reaching out to her, but he was barely moving. It was strange; she felt disconnected, and she couldn’t explain it. She heard laughter behind her and turned again .

Rising from the depths was a large menacing shadow, growing quickly in size and reaching for her. A man stepped out and stood on the waves with his hand outstretched.

“Come to me, Bridget,” she heard, “Come and see what I can show you in the shadows.”

Bridget shook her head. The shadows? She didn’t want to go there. She studied the man in front of her. He was incredibly handsome, with rich brown hair hanging in waves to his collar and piercing emerald-green eyes, but they were hard and cold. Colder than the water deep below him. He had beautiful, full lips that should have been enticing, but they were instead set in a cruel sneer. His face was angular and sharp, not warm and welcoming.

She heard Vaughn behind her, still yelling her name. It was muffled as if he were far away. The man smiled again and reached towards her. A cold wind wrapped around her ankles and flowed up her body until it cleared her head. She shook away the greasy fog clouding her mind and turned, “Vaughn!” She screamed as the cold hand grabbed her left wrist and pulled her towards the looming shadow with the Angel of Death waiting within. She saw it in his eyes. Vaughn was terrified. She inhaled to scream again when the shadow wrapped itself around her throat and squeezed. She couldn’t draw a breath! The shadow squeezed harder and began to climb upward to her mouth and nose. It was going to cut off her air completely. She began to panic.

Fight.

She heard it. That same whisper she’d heard in the dark. And those quiet moments in her dreams.

Fight it !

Bridget nodded as best she could and pulled on her magic. Her hair began to lift and snap. Blue arcs sizzled between the fingers on her right hand. She reached over and clamped it down on the wrist that was gripping her own. Electricity zinged up the arm of her captor, causing him to spasm and release her. She threw herself away from him as he yelled, grabbing his arm.

“You bitch!” he roared. He retreated into the shadow, and Bridget shuddered in relief.

Gasping for air, she turned towards Vaughn and smiled. It was short-lived when she saw his eyes widen in fear. She turned back to see the shadow looming over her, ready to crash down like a wave on the shore. She closed her eyes and tried to scream, but no sound came out. The cold wind came again as it rushed over her, a second before she was snatched up by a large golden claw.

She heard a roar of frustration and looked back at the shadow. It was sinking back into the ocean. Thank goodness Vaughn had grabbed her just in time.

“brIDGET!” He screamed her name.

Wait, how could that be? He couldn’t speak in dragon form. She looked up beyond the golden claw and realized it wasn’t Vaughn who had her. She panicked and began to squirm when a whisper came to her mind.

Shh, my daughter. You are safe now. The huge white dragon above her circled the point, decreasing his altitude before lining up to land.

Bridget’s mouth gaped open. The dragon had spoken in her mind! And it was white. She didn’t remember Vaughn mentioning anything about white dragons .

How can you speak in my mind? She asked.

She heard a laugh, then a whisper, it’s a secret, tell no one.

Bridget nodded silently, and the dragon laid her gently in Vaughn’s outstretched arms before landing smoothly in the plaza.

After checking her over multiple times, Vaughn finally let her stand on her own feet. The white dragon, which strangely now looked gray, was still standing nearby. He seemed in no hurry to change.

“Who is that?” demanded Vaughn, but she had no answer for him.

She slowly walked to the dragon and stood in front of him. He lowered his massive head and looked her in the eyes. She could swear he looked white again. He slowly blinked one eye.

He winked at me , she realized. She glanced over her shoulder, but no one else seemed to have noticed. Okay, so they had a secret for now. She had an awful lot of those lately. “I,” she croaked. She swallowed and had to try again, her throat was still sore from the shadow attack. “I want to thank you for saving my life. I don’t know how you managed to be there in time, but I’m glad you were. If there’s anything, well, I don’t know what I could offer you, but if I can ever do anything for you, please let me know.” She spread her hands to show that she was not sure what she could really do.

He nodded at her.

She glanced around again and saw that Vaughn was talking to Wu, who had hobbled over. You do want something, she thought to him.

He nodded again. The whisper came to her: Fight.

Bridget’s mouth dropped. This was the same voice she’d been hearing. This strange dragon, who kept shifting from white to gray, was the one pushing her to be strong and keep going .

Wu walked up to them. “Bridget, my dear, thank goodness you are safe. I do hope you have suffered no ill effects from your experience?” He seemed relieved when she shook her head no. She was in pain, but it wasn’t permanent. He turned to the large dragon sitting there, who suddenly lifted a hind leg and scratched his ear like a dog.

Bridget slapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the laugh that almost came bursting out. Not only would it have hurt her throat, she didn’t want to offend the white dragon.

The dragon winked at her again before focusing on Wu.

“Okay Tar’n. Enough showing off. If I’d known you were coming with us, I would have waited for you.”

The dragon shimmered and suddenly, the tall, robed man from the Council hearing was there, hood and all.

How did he do that, she wondered.

Tell no one , he reminded her.

Bridget nodded slowly.

Vaughn stepped up and grabbed his hand. “Tar’n, please, accept my thanks and gratitude for saving my mate from the Shadow King. We never thought he’d dare show his face here, but I cannot ever repay you for the gift you have given me. I owe you a life debt.”

Tar’n’s hood studied Vaughn. “And I believe you would honor such a debt, young Master Drake. But your life is destined for other things. It was a pleasure to save your lovely mate. That is all the thanks I need.”

He walked away with Wu tottering next to him, looking so much like Yoda and Obi Wan, Bridget began to laugh, but it hurt too much and turned to sobs, just as painful .

Vaughn gathered her close and held her until her shaking subsided. He brushed her hair away from her face in a familiar gesture and kissed her forehead before picking her up and carrying her to the car.

Back in Rome, they were gathered at the restaurant of the kind family that had hosted them weeks earlier. It was a lifetime ago to Bridget. She was exhausted and somewhat queasy from her ordeal. Jorrie sat next to her, rubbing her back in small circles, while Gabe sat on the other side, holding her hand and refusing to let anyone else near her. The conversations were a mix of voices at different levels and tones, and it was giving her a headache. She rubbed her temples and couldn’t wait until they were on the plane so she could lie down in the back. Vaughn had told her it had a bedroom, and she could take a nap.

Vaughn picked up on her distress and signaled to get everyone’s attention. The lessening of the noise had a significant impact on her well-being, and she began to feel somewhat better.

“You all saw what happened on the point to an extent, but here’s what you don’t know. The shadows now have confirmation that Bridget is the Wielder of Prophecy. They tried to grab her right in front of us and saw her wield. This tells me they are desperate. Also, the one who made the attempt was none other than the Shadow King himself.” Gasps went around the room.

Bridget reeled. She’d heard Vaughn say that earlier but didn’t quite connect the dots. Now, she was stunned. She jumped to her feet and was dizzy for a moment. She steadied herself on the back of a chair and straightened. She looked around and thought no one had noticed until she saw Jack’s face.

He was studying her seriously. He tilted his head at her .

She begged him with her eyes not to mention it.

He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

She inserted her still raspy voice into the conversation, which gained everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for your kind concern today. I’m fine. I just need a little rest. Before we head to the airport, there are things you need to know. One, the Shadow King definitely knows what we are doing, and he is going to be prepared for us. We need to adjust our tactics; no simple diversion will work. Two, he is pissed about what I did to him and wants me dead. Three, I know for certain now, we can kill him.”