Page 4 of Mistletoe Wishes and Dragon Kisses (Dragon Guard Holiday Love Stories #6)

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“ N o, I haven’t decided what to do yet.”

“Well, shouldn’t you…?”

“Yes, Mick,” he sighed. “I should decide what to do. I should do something, anything–but procrastinate. However, procrastinating is exactly what I’m doing. It’s like I have a little Devil sittin’ on my shoulder tellin’ me to hold off, just wait for the right time. Don’t make any snap decisions. Then the blasted Demon on the other shoulder gets in on the bullshit and calls me a scaredy cat Dragon who’s afraid of a little Brown Witch.”

“Dude, there is no time like the present. Get off your ass and jump in there with both…”

"Yes, Mick, I know I should get off my ass and just jump in with both feet. Or throw caution to the wind and race to Purdy Petals, USA, like the Hounds of Hell are nippin' at my heels. All the Ancients and the Great Goddess Herself know that I'm only one hundred–and–twenty–two–point–five miles away, sitting here in this house I built with my own two hands for my amazing Witchy Mate, doing nothing but twiddlin’ my thumbs and waitin’ for the next boot to drop, because I can’t decide how to do everything just right with my One True Fated Mate.”

Running the fingers of his free hand through the blond curls atop his head, Chris Archer–the youngest brother of the illustrious Archer Dragons–thought about pulling every single strand out by the root. Of course, that was when his alter ego's growl filled his mind with enough heat and smoke to barbeque all the pigs in Mrs. Doty's back pasture and maybe a few of the cows. “You will NOT pull out your hair. If I remember correctly, and I always do, Miss Gloria is especially fond of those curls.”

“Yes, but….”

“But nothing, even as a young girl, she spoke of them often. Do NOT do something you will regret–or something that will make the process of claiming your Mate take even longer.”

“Like sharing my soul with an overbearing Dragon King?”

“We both know that you are incredibly fond of me, even though you insist on being a petulant brat and trying to make me believe to the contrary. We share a soul, mind, and so much more. Therefore, I always know what you are thinking and feeling. It is time you…”

“For me to stop my childish behavior? To get a move on? To stop bein’ afraid of disappointing the most beautiful, amazing, fantastic, and wonderful Witch in the whole world who was made just for me?”

“Absolutely.”

“And you have a plan for me not to get turned into a greasy spot on her front porch before I have time to explain what has taken me so long to come to her?”

“I cannot do everything, but….”

“Yeah, well, thanks for nuthin, Old Man.”

When no witty retort immediately came his way, Chris wondered what the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul was cookin’ up. When Rí was quiet, some grand plan was always in the works.

Some grand plan that almost always included Chris' ass being put into a very large, very precarious sling while a thousand-mile-and-hour wind blew out of the North and the flames of the fires of Hell snapped and crackled just under his left butt cheek.

But he wasn’t going to poke the Dragon King. Sometimes–most of the time, it was better to let scheming Dragons lie. With that in mind, the Guardsman returned his focus to his brother.

And… he wasn’t surprised when Mick snickered, “You do know that I agree with the Old Man, right?”

“Sure, you do,” Chris ground out through gritted teeth.

Unclenching his jaw before he broke a couple of teeth, or worse yet, his jaw, and had to have it wired shut by one of the Healers on the Isle of Skye while the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul was Magically knitting the bone back together, he poured all his frustration into the next comment that flew from his mouth. "Not only have you been reading my mind the whole time–something I have repeatedly asked that you NOT do–but somehow, I also missed the memo telling me that today is 'National Pick on Chris Day.'"

“Aww, poor baby,” Mick playfully mocked.

Then, before Chris had time to tell his brother where he could go and how to get there in no uncertain terms, Mick quickly added, "I'm sorry I read your mind. It's a horrible habit, and I need to stop."

“Wow! Thanks. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time you’ve ever apologized for doing it.”

“Yeah, well, Vi gets the credit. I know it sounds corny, but she just makes me want to be a better person.”

Mick paused, and Chris could almost see his brother shaking his and grinning like a Dragon in love–and that was without the use of Magic. Before he could give his older brother a hard time, Mick was back in the conversation with renewed gusto.

"And as for 'National Pick on Chris Day,' you know that's just not true. I swear on a stack of Tomahawk steaks as high as the Heavenly Tower on the Isle of Skye that I am not pickin’ on you. Believe it or not, I’m tryin’ to help. Vi and I just want you to be as happy as we are. Heavens know you deserve it.”

“Well, thanks.”

“Yeah, and if you tell anyone I said you’re a good kid and have earned all the best in your life, I’ll deny, deny, deny.”

"Deal." Blowing out what felt like the hundredth exasperated breath since he had gotten out of bed after yet another sleepless night, he added. "I know you're right. I hate that you're right, but I know you're right, and I can admit that to you and only you .” He huffed again. “And you know what makes me even madder.”

“That you know I’m right about you draggin’ your feet?”

“Yep, you got it in one. You’re just hittin’ the lottery of right answers today.”

“And I didn’t even have to read your mind. You gave me the answer.”

“Well, give that boy a gold star.” Pausing for just a beat, Chris let the words flow. “I know, just like you and all the others did, that I should be beating a path to Glo's front door. I should get there with flowers, candy, and the big diamond ring I've been carrying around since I had it made right after we got back to Nowhere, USA. All I want to do is slide it on her finger, tell her that I love her, and ask her to be mine for the rest of forever. I want to get down on my hands and knees, knock on the door, and just let the words flow like water. I want her to know how much she means to me, that I never forgot her, and that I thought about her every day we were away–even though we weren't allowed to make contact. But I… I… I just haven't figured out how to do all of the above and not get turned into a toad or a newt or, worse still, a houseplant. Glo isn't known for her patience. It's just one of the millions of things I love about her." Pausing for a split second, he quickly added, "And you haven't been much help with the detail side of things, so…."

Stopping as a thought crossed his mind, the youngest Archer brother couldn’t keep the snort of laughter from slipping out. There he was in the middle of pouring out his heart to his brother, and then, bam , he wished for Mick to be in the same room and not halfway across the country.

Then he chuckled again because he knew if Mick was in the same room, he'd at least be able to kick him in the shins, and that would've made the entire conversation and the resulting frustration almost worth it. The chuckles became all-out laughter that was only interrupted by his brother's grumble, "And no, you cannot kick me in the shins, nor will that half-ass attempt at irritation stop me from reminding you that you’re…”

‘That you’re once again reading my mind?”

“No, that you’re…”

“I know. I know. I know. You want to remind me that I’m the last of the four Archer Dragons–well, the ones who happen to be brothers–to make it official with the woman made for me by the Universe, right? You want to say that even though I know who she is–my sweet Gloria Angelica Brown, the Brown Witch of Peace, Protection, and Eternal Love, that I have been takin’ my sweet ass time, right? And want to remind me that I have used the fact that I’ve been helpin' you, and the others get hitched with their One True Fated Mates as an excuse. Am I gettin' warm? You think that I don't know that…?"

“Okay, kid, there’s no need to….”

“Oh, yes, Mick, there is a need to bitch and moan and then bitch some more because you’re not the first call of the day to remind me of all of the above and so much more. Before I even crawled out from under the covers, Nate called with Molly on the speaker. She just kept telling me to go see Glo. She said it over and over. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with before I’d had my coffee, do you know what she said?” Not waiting for an answer, he just kept going, “That sweet little Witch who is a true sister to me told me to get off my scaly behind and fish or cut bait. Can you believe that shit? I mean, now that I say it out loud, it really is funny, but still…”

“Yeah, I get it, but…”

"Yeah, you get it, but nothing," Chris scoffed with a good dose of sarcasm and just the right amount of angst that only a little brother can give to one of his older brothers, no matter what age they happen to be and not get a Magical whap to the back of the head.

Not missing a beat, he continued. "And before you get on a roll, let me add that I also had the pleasure of talking to Liam and his lovely Mate–precisely three minutes after hanging up with Nate and Molly. Tell me that wasn't planned. Thankfully, Ella was a lot of fun and actually had some really great ideas without, and I repeat with an appropriate amount of emphasis and oomph, without telling me everything I’ve done wrong since we flew back into Nowhere, USA to save Molly almost five years ago. Ella really is a keeper, not to mention she has a great sense of humor. As for Li, well, let’s just say he thought I should take the Neanderthal approach.”

“No, he did not,” Mick, brother number three, guffawed with such gusto that Chris had to hold the phone away from his ear for a few seconds.

“Oh, yeah, he did,” Chris confirmed with a huff of irritation. “The butthead told me that I needed to just show up like I owned the world, knock on her door, throw her over my shoulder when she opened it, get back out here to the house, and let nature take its course.”

“And by nature takin’ its course, he meant you gettin’ Magicked to the far ends of the Earth or turned into something other than a Dragon? Or maybe ending up smellin’ so bad even the Murdock Mud Duck Commotion would make you take a bath before you could hang out and party?”

"From the way Elle giggled like a schoolgirl and told him to 'stop it,' in that southern accent of hers, I'm pretty sure he meant the other kinda nature. Then, when I told him that doing as he suggested could not only get me zapped to Hell and might be considered a crime in some states, he so brazenly asked, 'What the hell would you know, Kid?’ You were ten years old when we left Nowhere, USA, and only went out with three girls the whole time we were gone."

“Whatever. You know you can’t listen to Liam. That brother of ours really does have a one-track mind since he got Mated.”

“Says the dude who only answers about half the time when I holler at him telepathically and sends me straight to voicemail more than that when I call on these stupid cell phones he demanded we all get.”

“Yeah, well, get on over there and make everything official with your Mate and you won’t want to talk to anybody either.”

“So you keep sayin’.”

“Was that all Liam told you to do?”

"Nice change of subject, Bro," Chris snickered. "No, of course, that wasn't all he said. The big butthead told me that I was lucky that I didn't have to go through the whole 'Coming Home' or 'We Really Do Have Magic' or the 'Hey! Did you know I'm a Dragon Shifter and one of the famed Dragon Guardsmen?' stories as he called them."

“You have got to be kidding. The bonehead gave them titles?”

“Nope, I am not kidding, and yes, he has given them titles that he thinks we should use every time we run into someone who doesn’t know what happened.”

“You know it’s not gonna be as easy as sayin’, ‘Hey, Glo, have you heard the one about the brothers who thought they didn’t have Magic because their parents were assholes who wanted to take over the world, so The Powers That Be had to lock them down for the first twelve years of their lives?’”

“It was only ten for me.”

“Okay, ten years for you. Sue me. I think of it from my perspective when I get on a roll.”

“I know you do,” Chris chuckled. “Just givin’ you a hard time.”

“Nothing new there.”

“That’s what little brothers are for, right?”

"Yeah, they damned sure are, but that doesn't mean you have to go for the gold medal in Little Brothering," Mick teased. Then, wistfully sighing, he continued, "You do know that you can't just hope Glo’s heard one of the stories, right?” The feeling of commiseration and brotherly love floated not only through the phone but also through the unique mental link they shared. “You’re gonna have to…”

“Yes, I know that I’m gonna have to lay out all the gory details. Tell Glo about…” Letting go of yet another long-suffering sigh, he went on, “Well, tell her in my own words that our parents are the biggest assholes in the world. That they are huge frauds who manipulated everyone they ever knew, including us. That our Magic had to be hidden from them–not us–because they had some grand plan to use the Blessings we'd been given to take over the world. That we found out the truth about what they had planned and who we really were about two minutes before being whisked away to the Isle of Skye. That was a looooong time after that. When the time was right, we came back and captured our pathetic parental units while they were trying to kill Molly in her very own tool shed. Then we sent them off to stand trial before the Supernatural and Witches Council, where they were sentenced to eternity in the lowest Pits of Hell. Where I might add, they are cleaning Satan's Hellcat's kitty litter. But that wasn't enough for Big Daddy and Mother Archer. Oh, no, they just couldn’t give up. They still tried to get at all of us–even our cousins and their Mates. They have made deals with every lowlife in the Underworld and then some and are supposedly in complete and total isolation. And best of all, I have to tell my Mate that the people who gave birth to us are such treacherous, mutinous pieces of shit that I hate to admit I am related.”

He sighed again, ran his fingers through his hair for what seemed like the hundredth time, and opened his mouth to speak, just as Mick snickered, “Yep, or you could just tell her that our parents are losers and got the shit end of the stick for their sins and see if she laughs. I’ve found that a joke is always a good way to break the tension. Get that girl of yours laughing, and you’ll be one giant step closer to happily ever after.”

Chuckling despite the situation, Chris snorted, “You’re such an asshole, Mick. Ya’ know that, right?”

“I do,” his brother chuckled even harder. “And it’s taken years of practice to get this good, but that does not mean that I’m wrong. Big Daddy and Mother Archer are shovelin' shit for the rest of forever. They have pooper scoopers the size of snow shovels and are excavating dirty kitty litter twenty–four–seven–three–sixty–five, so it would be a good opening line."

“You do have a point.”

“Lookie there,” Mick teased. “You can still laugh.”

“Ha!”

"Yep! Just like that, Bro, and that laughter will get you through this. Vi, Elle and all the other ladies say Glo has the best sense of humor of all of them. She's gonna understand. You know she is, but the longer you…”

"The longer I wait, the harder it's gonna be. She’s gonna worry about why it took me so long. She’ gonna think it’s because I doubt that she was made for me, and I was made for her. Then she’s gonna have more doubts, and then her doubts are gonna have doubts, and when Glo doubts something, she…”

“…gets a little wand happy, even though she doesn’t need one,” they barked with laughter.

As the levity finally died down, Chris had to admit–even only to himself and Ríoghnán, aka Rí, the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul–that he did feel better. If nothing else, Mick made him laugh, and that always helped him think straight.

Maybe his older brother was right. Maybe makin’ Glo laugh would help him get his foot in the door. Of course, he would still have to explain why it had taken him four years to come and find her.

There was no doubt in his mind that he had to be honest–blatantly honest. No matter how humbling and embarrassing it was, he had to tell her the truth.

First of all, he would tell her that for every minute of every day for all the many decades he’d been on the Isle of Skye, and wherever else he and his brothers had been. He would make sure that she knew he hadn’t wanted to go away without saying goodbye and hadn’t spoken to his Uncle Diar for months. The joke would come in when he told her about how on his third night in the old Archer Homestead that he had shaved some of his uncle’s beard off and bleached the other side a bright yellow.

While she was laughing, because he knew she would love what he’d done, he would admit that he’d made the trip to Purdy Petals precisely forty–seven times over the last four years. He would tell her that at least half of those times he’d sat at the end of her very long driveway with the motor of his fire engine red Harley Davidson Fat Boy idling while he and Rí argued over what he should do. He would admit that he’d only won every single dispute by trapping the old Dragon King in the back of his mind and refusing to let him out. Then he had turned the motorcycle around and taken the long way back to Nowhere, metaphorically kicking himself in the ass for being such a dipshit.

Then he would confess that the longer he’d waited, the more scared he’d gotten. He would tell her the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He would admit that he never thought he was good enough for her, and no matter how many times the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul and his three brothers told him how stupid he was and that he and Gloria were made for each other, he couldn’t shake the feeling that she deserved better.

He wouldn’t mention that he’d been on a couple of missions with his Uncle Diar, Uncle Bryan, and his Granddad Cayden, or that he’d been there every time her cousins were in trouble. None of that mattered. After all, those battles and the following rescues hadn’t taken four years, and that was the point, wasn’t it? He was the idiot for waiting four very, very, very long years.

“Yo, Bro, you there,” Mick happily called to him.

Snaping out of his thoughts, Chris instantly chuckled, “Yeah, I’m here. Just thinkin’.”

“Oh, shit,” Mick laughed out loud. “Are you hurt?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.”

“Alright, my work here is done, and I need to get goin’,” his happily chuckled. “It’s my night to cook dinner.”

“Damn, Son! Vi has you all domesticated and shit.”

"And I've never been happier. Oh! And I make a mean Chicken Kiev, roasted asparagus, and Caesar salad. Watched some of those cooking videos on the Ghoul–Tube that Em and Noss put up, and voilà, I was a chef. When you and Glo get done with the honeymoon, I’ll whip up dinner for all of us to celebrate.”

“Okay, Chef Mick, what about dessert? You know I gotta have my dessert."

“For tonight, Lucy gave me the recipe for Vi’s favorite chocolate covered cherries. They are damned good, too, if I do say so myself.”

“Alright, Betty Crocker,” Chris teased. “Go put on your apron and get busy. Keep that Mate of yours happy, ‘cause I’m not lettin’ you crash on the couch if you piss her off.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” his brother answered, his tone dreamy and blissfully happy. “This Mating thing is for life–no more couches for me. Just you wait and see, Brother. Just you wait and see. You’re gonna be just as dreamy–in–love as the rest of us before you know it.”

“I’ll let ya’ know if and when that happens.”

“ When , Kiddo. It’s definitely when. ”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Chris nodded even though his brother couldn’t see the expression. “I know you’re right. Glo is the girl for me. I knew it all those years ago, and the feeling has only gotten stronger every day.”

“See? You got this.”

“Yeah, I got this.” Sighing again, he added, forcing a chuckle he didn’t feel, “Or, at the very least, I’m gonna try to get it all together. Talk to ya’ later.”

“Oh, yeah, you will.”

Disconnecting the call, he tossed the cell phone onto the couch and fell back into his favorite, overstuffed, comfy chair. Lifting his feet onto the matching ottoman, he put the thumb of his left hand on one temple and the forefinger on the other, trying with all his might to rub away the tension.

After five minutes of aggressive massaging, the tension in his head only got worse, and damn it all to Hell, if it wasn't moving into his neck. It was time for drastic measures.

It was time to talk to the one person–make that one Being –who knew him as well as he knew himself and somehow always had the answers. Dropping his hand, he let his head fall back against the soft cushion of the chair and thought the words he wanted to say to the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul.

“Okay, Old Man, let’s come up with a game plan. I need to get to Glo sooner rather than later, and I know you’ve got ideas. So, how should I…?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

“Technically, I didn’t,” Chris chuckled. “You started talkin’ before I got that far.”

“Indeed, I did,” Rí chuckled, the sound of his deep rumbling laughter like rocks rolling around in a dryer . “And with good reason. As you say, I have thoughts–many thoughts on this matter.”

“I knew you did. You always do. So, hit me. I’m ready.”

“I think you should start at the beginning.” The Dragon King’s thick, Scottish brogue was more prominent than ever. A clear indication that Ríoghnán meant business.

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Indeed,” the Dragon King offhandedly agreed before continuing without so much as a pause. “And although you won’t like it, I believe you should approach it as Liam suggested, and Mick agreed."

“You, the King of the Great Dearg Dragons of the Scottish Highlands, want me to tell Glo a joke? Do you even…?"

“No, I most certainly am not advocating you tell your Mate a joke after you haven’t seen her for decades. I am advising you to explain everything that has transpired by telling Miss Gloria a story.”

“Wow! I never thought…” Chris stopped. Changed mental directions. Then asked, “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously,” Rí confirmed with an oomph of Magic, assuring the Guardsman knew he meant business. "The best way to start your explanation, story, apology, or whatever you choose to call it, is with Gloria’s very own Auntie, the Head Elder of the Brown Family Coven, Eleanor.”

“So, you’re saying I should start by telling her about the…”

“Yes, you should start by giving her your perspective on the Null Conundrum as it relates to personal experience and, most importantly, Eleanor Brown. Not only is it something Miss Gloria is familiar with, but you will also be talking about her Family. Remember, Lad, everyone, no matter who they are–enjoys hearing about the people and things they love the most. It bolsters their self-assurance to have it confirmed that they are surrounded by people who know what they’re doing, that those same people are doing it right, and that those people are the ones they love and admire.”

“You might have a point there, Old Man.”

“I am glad you agree.” Pausing, it took the Dragon King a couple of seconds to continue. Chris thought about asking questions, about offering a few suggestions, then decided against it right before Rí started again. “Now, would you like to hear how I would deliver the information to the woman made for you by the Universe?”

“Sure,” Chris happily agreed. “I’m surprised you asked. Usually, you just go ahead and do your thing without warning.”

“I do not always ‘do my thing without warning,' as you so eloquently put it. You usually wait until the last possible moment to seek my advice–or even listen to it–and therefore, I am forced to exert my time-honored wisdom unto you with more effort than would normally be needed.”

The sarcasm in Rí’s tone was a living, breathing entity, but it was the chuckle the Ancient Dragon King tried to hide that made Chris feel better, which made him pay even closer attention. And just like that, Rí was right back at it.

“It would be more accurate to say that I take initiative when the situation demands it. It is and has always been my job to make sure you are focused and prepared for every situation. We not only share a soul but a mind and a psyche. Suffice it to say, what you do affects me, and what I do affects you–and that is the way it will always be. So, I do not think of how I do what I do as overbearing but as the ounce of prevention needed to keep us from frantically searching for a cure that will keep us alive. However, on this occasion, I know how much you have pondered the correct way to speak to your Mate. I also know how very much it means to you. Therefore, I am trying to tread softly, and I waited until you approached me.”

“Wow,” Chris breathed. “I am really impressed, Old Man.”

“Thank you, Christopher.” Gratitude filled their combined psyche, and the fact that it was accompanied by a good amount of comradery made the Guardsman feel better.

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the Dragon King started again with the authority of the Monarch he was, and the sound of the Highlands woven into every syllable. “You must go to Miss Gloria.”

“Well, duh, there, Old Man. It didn’t think….”

“That is correct,” Rí sniffed disapprovingly. “You did not think.”

“Well, I….”

"Yes, you have and will again, but that is neither here nor there. What I meant, and I am sure you knew what I meant, is that you must go to Miss Gloria's home. It is where she feels the most comfortable. It is, so to speak, her territory, and that is central to her being receptive to what you have to say. You will be showing her that you are willing to come to her with your hat in your hand. It will further demonstrate that you are repentant and want to make things right–to do whatever she deems necessary to make up for taking so long to see her, and it will start your lives together on the right foot.”

“Good thinkin’.”

“I am glad you agree.” Clearing his throat, the Dragon King continued, "Now, it is imperative that you not let the pleasantries go on for too long. Gloria Angelica Brown is not one to suffer fools. I believe too much banter will make her think you are ill-prepared for your first meeting and highlight your nerves."

"You know that's right. Glo is an awesome girl with a great sense of humor and a love of life and laughter, but when something needs to be done, she wants it done quickly and without a lotta hoopla. That goes for saying what needs to be said, just as much as moving a pile of mulch or tilling land to plant Oak trees for her precious Mistletoe.”

“Indeed. She will want to hear what you have to say about your abrupt departure when you were children sooner rather than later.”

“Okay.”

“So, you will go right into it, saying something like–as you know…”

It always amazed the Guardsman how well the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul could imitate his voice–complete with the long drawl of his heritage and the involuntary pauses. It was uncanny, and for reasons Chris wasn't about to question, it had always made him feel better.

“…when we were all kids…” Rí was still laying out his plan even as Chris’ mind took a small, unplanned break. "…Nate, Liam, Mick, and I thought we didn't have any Powers–that our Magic was nonexistent. We believed, and so did our parents, that we were products, or maybe it is better to say that we were unwilling participants in the Null Conundrum as your Auntie Eleanor so aptly named it."

“Now, as mad as I am at them, the whole Null thing was not my mom and dad’s invention. Oh, they told a lot of lies and shoveled bullshit like they were cattle ranchers stuck in a pasture full of Bulls, but they believed we were Nulls just as much as everyone else.”

“I gotta give you credit, Old Man, you really sound like me.”

“Years of firsthand experience,” Rí scoffed. "Now, listen, please. I do not want to forget anything."

“As if you ever could.”

“Indeed.” Clearing his through, the Dragon King went on. "From the minute Nate, the eldest of us, but you know that, was old enough to understand what Magic was, he was told, and then each of us was also told that although we had Supernatural Ancestors, Shifters one and all, the four of us were born without an ounce of Magic to call our own. Some called us genetic abnormalities or anomalies. Others were sure we were cursed for some past transgression of our Ancestors. But your Auntie, one of the wisest Witches to ever be born, the Honorable Eleanor Brown, the Head Elder of your Family Coven, believed it happened as part of the Grand Design by the Universe, the Great Goddess of All, God with a capital G and all the other Powers That Be. She was sure all of these Omnipotent Beings were controlling the Other population by creating Nulls."

“Okay, I’m with ya’ so far.”

“Good, I am glad.” Ríoghnán nodded, the gesture visible in the Guardsman’s mind’s eye. "When you get to this point, you need to explain that you, Nate, Liam, and Mick are not the only Archer Dragons to walk the Earth. Be sure to mention that her cousin, Davina, is Mated to your cousin, Jackson, and he was given access to his Magic and Dragon King from birth. Then reiterate something we both know she has been told–that your cousin, Noel, who is Mated to Lucy, was also told he was a Null to keep him from the clutches of Big Daddy and Mother Archer. Be sure she understands that there are other Archer Dragons, aside from you and your brothers, Jackson and Noel, and some have known who they were from birth, and others grew up being protected like you and your brothers. You also need to add that there are others out there not unlike your parents, other Nulls, who think they should have Magic and are will to do whatever they can to get it."

"From there, you will reiterate that you and your brothers believed you were merely casualties of the Grand Design by The Powers That Be and that in cases other than yours and the Archer Dragons, the Null Conundrum is real. Let her know that in all honesty, you believed you were a Null and your Family was being given a 'break' from Magic because it was all you ever knew. It made sense. After all, Eleanor based her theory on the fact that the Null Conundrum never lasted longer than three generations in one Family. So, if your parents were the first generation without Magical abilities who could not Shift, then you and your brothers were the second."

“I like this so far. It really sounds like something I would say.”

“I thought so, too,” Rí agreed, sounding truly pleased with his plan. "It is very important that, at this point, you tell her that your Uncle Diarmuid came and saved you. You could say that Mom and Dad had just left to go somewhere or another, and there was a knock at the door. Diar explained the situation to you and unlocked your Magic so that you knew what he said was the truth. You and your brothers packed a bag, and off you went to the Isle of Skye to be trained in the ways of the Dragon Guard."

“Now, I need you to listen very carefully, Lad.” King Rí’s tone was so serious and stern that Chris sat up straight and put his feet on the floor. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he focused on the tiny Mistletoe plant growing on the branch of the Oak tree right outside the sliding glass door at the back of his home and hung on the Dragon’s every word.

"You will take her hands into yours, look deep into her eyes, and completely open your heart and soul to her. Once you feel the connection–the one created by the Universe and only shared by True Fated Mates, you will tell her with all the sincerity and love in your heart that you had to leave at that very moment. That you did not have time to get in touch with her to say goodbye. And you will not stop there, Christopher. You will tell her that you were also forbidden from reaching out to her over the years. Make sure she understands that your Uncles, Grandparents, and even I made sure you understood the importance of keeping everything that happened a secret. Your parents could not know that you and your brothers were alive, nor could they know the four of you had Magic."

“Of course, she will have heard all the stories from her cousins, but she needs to hear those words from you.”

“You have never been more right, Old Man. I am so impressed.”

“And I am not done yet.”

“Somehow, I knew that.”

"Pay attention, Lad, this is imperative. You must make sure Miss Gloria understands that there were a few people–those The Powers That Be implicitly trusted–who knew the truth. They were sworn to secrecy and were the failsafe, assuring that if anything happened to your Uncle Diarmuid or Grandfather Cayden, you, your brothers, and any others who mistakenly thought they were Nulls would know the truth."

“Okay, I understand,” Chris slowly nodded. “What next?”

Bursting into laughter that was filled with a true fraternal affection that was only shared between a Guardsman and the Dragon King with whom he shared his soul, Rí guffawed , “Oh, Lad, if Miss Gloria hasn’t fallen into your arms and told you how much she loves you at this point, then you may just have to spend eternity as a philodendron.”

“Well, shit! Guess I better get it right the first time.”

“Indeed.”