Hidden Dragon Read online

  Their lips remained locked until the man’s footsteps grew closer and then faded away as he walked along the street. Only when there was the sound of a car door unlocking and then an engine starting did they break the kiss.

  “Do you think that was Mr. Devizes?” Fleur murmured in his ear as she watched the car drive away.

  “It might be.” He took a step backward, releasing his mate before turning to stare after the car. “Quick thinking not to let him see us.”

  “I didn’t want to tip him off that we were here to see Edith.” Fleur walked back to the yard gate and opened it. “Come on. Let’s see if she is in.”

  Doran followed her along the stone path, his heart racing as she reached the door and knocked loudly. There was every chance the house was empty, and Mr. Devizes was simply a good friend or an attorney who was working in the best interests of Edith.

  Relief flooded through him when a shadowy figured appeared on the other side of the front door. Then a hand reached for the latch and the door swung open to reveal a smartly dressed woman, who looked to have complete control of her faculties.

  “Edith Rothmore?” Fleur asked, her voice raspy with nerves.

  “Who are you?” The woman looked them up and down. “What do you want?”

  “My name is Fleur. I work for Mr. Preston over at Bear Creek Real Estate.” Fleur watched the woman closely for her reaction.

  “Oh, yes.” The woman nodded. “If it’s about Woodacre, I’m afraid I’m not interested in selling.”

  “It is about Woodacre,” Fleur replied. “Can we come in? It’s a little sensitive.”

  “I’m sorry.” Edith pushed the door, ready to close it. “As I said, I’m not interested in selling it. The land has been in my family for generations and it will stay in my family.”

  “Except a Mr. Devizes has instructed my boss, Mr. Preston at Bear Creek Real Estate, to sell it,” Fleur spoke quickly and clearly. “We only recently found out that you are the owner. We’re here to piece together exactly what is going on.” Fleur took a piece of paper from her purse and handed it to Edith. On it was a picture of the land and a map referencing its whereabouts along with details of the price.

  “How much?!” Doran asked as he read the figures upside down.

  “Things are a lot more expensive than they were in your day, Doran,” Fleur said quietly.

  “Doran? Doran Halberd?” Edith recognized the name and turned her full attention to the man standing on her doorstep. Her face paled as she stepped backward and held the door open. “You’d better come in.”

  Fleur stepped over the threshold and into the cool exterior of the cottage. The scent of the roses wafted in on the warm breeze as Doran followed his mate, keeping on guard for any sign of danger. Edith had recognized his name, she also seemed to recognize his face.

  Was this woman from the past, too? Did she have immortality? Was she the witch who cast the spell?

  “Sit down, I’ll fetch some coffee.” Edith indicated the sitting room at the front of the house and Fleur seated herself on the soft red velvet sofa. Filled with nervous energy, Doran paced the room. He wished he could tap into his dragon shifter senses. Without them he was vulnerable.

  “Relax, you’ll wear a hole in the rug.” Fleur patted the seat next to her.

  “I can’t sit.” He puffed the air out of his cheeks. “Not until we have some answers.”

  “Maybe this will help.” Edith set down a tray of coffee on the table, then picked up a small picture frame and handed it to him. “This is you and your mother. Or so I was told by my great-grandfather. The painting, along with Woodacre, has been passed down from one generation to the next. The story was that a great dragon slept there and one day he would awaken.”

  “And so I have.” Doran sat down on the edge of the sofa and clasped his hands together as he leaned forward.

  “And so you have.” Edith’s eyes misted up with tears. “I never really thought it was true. We always thought it was a made-up story. A couple of my ancestors even tried to sell the land, but they could not break the covenant.”

  “I’m glad they failed,” Doran said.

  “So am I. Woodacre is beautiful, with or without a slumbering dragon. When I was a young girl my grandfather used to take me to visit every summer and tell me the story of the dragon who slept under the mountain. I admit I fell in love with the idea of a dragon who would only wake when his true mate came to him.”

  Doran took hold of Fleur’s hand and kissed the back of it. She smiled at him, full of love. “That part of the myth is also true.”

  “I used to visit Woodacre a couple of times a year and camp out in the ruins of the little cottage. I can’t believe you were there all this time.” A flush of excitement colored Edith’s cheeks. “I’m so happy you woke up now so I could meet you.”

  Edith passed a mug of coffee to Fleur. “Thank you.” Fleur sipped the hot coffee as her teeth chattered with excitement. “So you believed there was a sleeping dragon?”

  Edith smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know. As a child, I wanted to believe. Deep down I suppose I knew it wasn’t true. I mean I know about shifters. But there has never been a dragon shifter. I wish my grandfather was here to see this. His father was one of those who wanted to sell the land and put the money toward something that would create an income. He even thought about building a cabin on the land and hiring out for shifters who wanted to vacation in the area. But he could never raise the capital to fund his plans.”

  “And you had no idea Mr. Devizes was selling Woodacre?” Fleur asked, bringing the conversation back to the reason she and Doran were here.

  “No, as I said, no one has been able to break the covenant preventing Woodacre from being sold.” Edith’s eyes rested on Doran. “For whatever reason, my family was bound to the land. And to you.”

  “And Mr. Devizes knows all this?” Fleur asked. “Has he ever visited the land or seen the deeds?”

  “Mr. Devizes. Ken. We have been dating for six months now. And no, he’s never visited Woodacre. However, he did help me with some financial planning. That’s how we met.” Edith’s bottom lip trembled. “I can’t believe he was dating me just so he could sell Woodacre.” She shook her head and got up from the sofa. “I’ll call him.”

  “Wait.” Fleur sprang to her feet and put her hand over Edith’s as she picked up the house phone. “Let’s think this through first.”

  Doran slammed down his coffee cup and stood up abruptly. “We should be calling the sheriff.” He locked eyes with Fleur. “You do still have sheriffs, don’t you?”

  “We do. I know the sheriff in Bear Creek, he’s a good man.” She let go of Edith’s hand. “I have an idea.”

  “I’m listening.” Edith clenched her back teeth together as her eyes misted with tears which she quickly dashed away. “I’m so sorry, I truly though Ken liked me. I can’t believe he set me up like this.”

  “Well, if we set a trap, you’ll know for sure.” Fleur placed her hand on Edith’s arm. “Come to Bear Creek with us.”

  Edith nodded. “I’ll go pack an overnight bag.”

  Fleur pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “While you pack, I’ll call my boss.”

  “I thought your boss was sick?” Doran asked when Edith was out of earshot.

  “He is, but since he’s the only person Ken Devizes has been dealing with, Mr. Preston needs to be the one to set up the sting.” His mate tapped the screen of her phone and looked up at Doran as she waited for Mr. Preston to answer. Doran had not figured out exactly how these phones worked, but they were very useful for talking to people a long way away.

  “What is a sting?” Doran asked. The only sting he knew of was one made by a bee or a nettle.

  “You’ll see, Doran. You will see.” She nodded like a cat who had gotten the canary. However, Doran was worried they had lost sight of the reason they had come here.

  They were no closer to removing the binding spell. Which meant he was no closer
to freeing his dragon.

  The land, his treasure meant nothing compared to regaining the ability to shift.

  Chapter Twenty – Fleur

  The journey back to Bear Creek was made in relative silence as the occupants of Fleur’s car lost themselves in their own thoughts.

  As she turned off the highway and drove along the road which meandered along the edge of the mountains, her phone beeped. “Mr. Preston has arranged to meet Ken tomorrow at eleven. He’s told him there is a purchaser who is very interested in Woodacre, but before the sale can proceed, he needs to double check the documentation.”

  “Didn’t he already prove this when the land was put up for sale?” Edith asked. “Why didn’t he realize something was amiss?”

  “He did check and I double checked. Mr. Preston is very thorough about these things.” Fleur had seen the documents herself as she completed the brochure ready for advertising the sale. It all looked legitimate, but Edith had produced similar documents which proved she was the rightful owner. A quick call had confirmed this.

  “So if he produces the fake documents, he’ll be arrested?” Doran asked as they drove past a scattering of houses.

  “Yes. Attempt to defraud, Sheriff Brad called it.” Fleur indicated to turn right and drove into town, heading for the real estate office. Mr. Preston wanted to meet Edith and double check everything for himself before any confrontation with Ken the next day. “How are you doing?” Fleur looked in the rearview mirror and angled her head so she could see Edith in the back seat.

  “I’m doing fine. I’ve gotten over my love affair with Ken Devizes and am now at the wrathful vengeance stage.” Edith’s eyes flashed with anger as she stared at the road ahead. “I can’t believe I was suckered in by the man. We just got back from a week’s vacation visiting all the places he wanted to visit. I should have seen through him.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Edith. I’ve known plenty of men who would screw over their own mothers given the chance.” Fleur cast a sideways glance at Doran. “That means they would sell them out. If there was something in it for them.”

  “Like Edric was willing to sell me out?” Doran asked.

  “Yes. Just like that.” Fleur drove around the back of the real estate agency and parked her car next to Mr. Preston’s. “I hope this doesn’t make him feel any worse. When I saw him yesterday, he didn’t look well at all.”

  “Is your boss sick?” Edith asked as Fleur switched off the engine and got out of the car.

  “Yes, he’s just been diagnosed with cancer.” Her voice trembled and she slammed the car door shut, trying to steady her emotions. She had a job to do. Both Edith and Mr. Preston needed justice.

  “Do you think that is why Mr. Devizes picked Bear Creek Real Estate to sell the land?” Doran asked. “He saw that your boss was weak and took advantage of him.”

  Fleur closed her fingers around her purse and dug her nails into the tan leather. “If that’s what happened, I might have to rip his head off with my bear paws.”

  “I would snap his head off with my dragon’s teeth if I could release him.” Doran smiled sadly as his eyes filled with sorrow. He’d lost so much. There was no amount of treasure in the world to make up for it.

  “You can’t shift?” Edith came around to join Fleur and Doran as they walked toward the rear entrance of the office.

  “No, when we went back to the place where I found Doran, there was an engraved wooden box that contained a spell that bound Doran’s dragon.” Fleur was very careful not to mention Doran’s treasure.

  Edith’s hand went to her neck and then her hand dropped to her side. “I…”

  “Fleur!” Mr. Preston’s anguished voice reached her from the doorway where her boss slumped to the ground as his legs gave way beneath him.

  “Mr. Preston!” Fleur rushed forward as Mr. Preston clutched his heart. “What’s wrong?” Her boss looked so much worse than he had only yesterday.

  “I’m not sure,” he answered. Gasping for breath, he yanked at his tie while Fleur unbuttoned his shirt collar. “I was feeling all right and then something just hit me.”

  Edith rushed forward. “I’m a retired nurse. I can check him over while you call for an ambulance.”

  Fleur nodded and backed away, fumbling in her pocket for her smartphone. Trembling fingers curled around it as fear struck at her. What if Mr. Preston died?

  She couldn’t bear the thought as she tapped the screen to unlock her phone. But before she’d tapped the screen again to call emergency services, a miracle happened.

  At least to Fleur, it was a miracle.

  “Mr. Preston. Can you hear me?” Edith took hold of Mr. Preston’s hand and put her other hand on his forehead. Mr. Preston’s body jerked as if he’d been shocked back into life. Arching his back, his body tensed, and Fleur cried out in panic.

  “Is it a heart attack?” Fleur rushed forward, her phone still in her hand. Pushing away her fear, she tapped the screen. But before she hit dial, Mr. Preston’s body relaxed and he opened his eyes, searching for something.

  For someone.

  Mates! Her bear’s voice was so loud it startled Fleur and her phone flew out of her hand.

  “You are mates?” Fleur asked Mr. Preston.

  “Yes, we are.” Edith gave a sad half smile. “I can sense you.”

  “But you are not a shifter?” Fleur asked, unsure of the answer. Edith had said she knew about shifters but hadn’t admitted to being one herself.

  “No, sadly I’m not. Although I would have loved to be one.” Edith sighed wistfully. “I think that’s why the stories of dragon shifters lying dormant under Woodacre always appealed to me.”

  “I’m sorry. I must be a disappointment to you.” Mr. Preston gazed on his mate with open love and adoration.

  “I’ve seen worse.” Edith offered Mr. Preston her hand and he took it. With Fleur’s help, they pulled him to his feet. “There. Not so bad.”

  Not so bad was right. It was as if someone had flicked a switch in her boss. Mr. Preston stood a little straighter and there was a light in his eyes that had been missing for some time.

  “Shall we go inside?” Fleur asked as she looked around for Doran, who had kept very quiet during the whole ordeal. “Doran, could you open the door?”

  Doran hadn’t moved away from the car as he watched the events unfold before him with fascination. But he jumped to answer Fleur’s request for help. In an instant the rear door leading into the offices was open.

  “Is there anything I can do?” Doran asked, his voice filled with emotion as Fleur and Edith helped Mr. Preston inside.

  “No, I don’t think there is. In fact, I don’t think there is much either of us can do. Fate seems to have provided the perfect remedy.” She smiled and winked at her mate, a surge of love coursing through her. It was difficult not to believe in fate after what they’d just witnessed.

  “Fate surely does have its own agenda.” Doran watched with interest as Mr. Preston and Edith walked to a desk at the front of the office. Edith helped him sit down in his chair before she perched herself on the edge of the wooden desk and leaned in to check that he was all right.

  “It surely does.” Fleur jumped into action. “I’ll make coffee and then we can get started on the document checks. Once those are done, we should leave the newest mates in Bear Creek alone.”

  “They have stolen our title,” Doran joked, a little more relaxed now.

  “Are you sure you are okay?” Fleur asked her mate as she took the coffee pot to the sink at the back of the office and washed it out.

  Doran nodded. “Yes.” He glanced over his shoulder at Edith. “I never noticed at first, but Edith strikes a remarkable likeness to Yolanda. Of course, she is much older, but when she rushed out to help Mr. Preston, I saw it. The same warmth and compassion.”

  “Do you think Edith has any information on what happened to Yolanda and your brother, Edric? They were mates and yet your brother was intent on trying to steal
your treasure, while Yolanda set out to protect you and Woodacre even after she passed on.” Fleur walked back into the office, one eye on her boss and Edith as she made fresh coffee. It was wonderful to see them talking and laughing, although Mr. Preston still looked very ill.

  Perhaps this will give him the strength to get the treatment he needs, her bear suggested.

  It will, Fleur replied. There is no way he can refuse treatment now. Not when he has a mate to think about. He needs to get well.

  “I will ask her.” Doran glanced toward the mated couple. “But perhaps that is for another day.”

  Fleur touched his arm and experienced the same shock of recognition Edith and Mr. Preston would have experienced when they first touched. “You’re right. It’s not for today.” She collected her thoughts and opened her mouth to speak as the coffee maker hissed and spat out strong dark coffee.

  “What is it?” Doran asked.

  “I just remembered something. A look on Edith’s face. She was about to say something when Mr. Preston appeared. It was right after we told her about your dragon being bound.” Fleur recalled the moment. Edith had put her hand to her throat as if clutching a pendant. “Perhaps she knows how to free your dragon.”

  “Perhaps she does.” Doran turned around, ready to question Edith. But Fleur caught hold of his arm.

  “Give them a moment.” Fleur made the coffee while Doran bristled next to her. She understood his eagerness, but she didn’t want to break the spell that hung over Mr. Preston as he smiled and talked with his mate.

  “You’re right. We have the rest of our lives.”

  “And so do they.” Fleur’s mouth turned up at the corners, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile. If the treatment didn’t work, Edith and Mr. Preston would not have a long time to get to know each other.

  It will work. He has something to fight for. We all need something to fight for. Her bear was right. Fleur would fight through a thousand armies for Doran.

  She carried a tray of coffee over to Mr. Preston’s desk and set it down. “Here we are.”