Page 7 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

CHAPTER 4

***BLAKE***

Blake was sure that he was finally getting the hang of setting the sails as he tightened the line and sat back, a smile of satisfaction on his face. Montgomery had been drilling him hard since his second lesson of the day had started, but he’d held up to the challenge, impressing the other man. He was determined to absorb as much knowledge as possible before he left the island, and his fantasy of sailing around the world felt more and more of a possibility as he learned the ins and outs of the little sailboat.

“What the hell?” Montgomery asked, breaking into his thoughts. “What are those idiots doing with that float? Are they trying to kill themselves?”

He looked up to find a big pink doughnut floating by the shore, a woman and two children balanced on it, a man shoving them around in the waves. Understanding the danger at once, he adjusted the sails and headed for the shore, hoping to cut them off if something went wrong. Only seconds later, his fear became a reality. The man lost his grip on the raft, and it began to bob out to sea, and the frightened woman and children began screaming for help.

The sailboat was getting closer to the doughnut, but the wind suddenly changed direction, the sails went flat, and they slowed to a halt in the water. He looked over at Montgomery, who was barking into the emergency radio, then back at the float, horrified to see it had drifted farther out.

“I’m going after them,” he shouted to get Montgomery’s attention. “You’ll never get help here soon enough.”

Without waiting for a response, he jumped into the water; his life jacket shot him to the surface instantly, and he began swimming for the doughnut, hoping he could get there in time. He was only a few feet away, beginning to think that he was going to reach them, when a big wave crashed first over him, then into the trio floating on the surface. The youngest of the children was thrown off the doughnut, his scream cut off by the water as it closed over his head, but he popped up a second later, his face full of terror.

Afraid the current would take the child out to sea, he began swimming toward him, slowly becoming aware of another swimmer in the water with him when he heard splashing next to him. They both reached the boy at the same time, but he got a hand on the tiny life jacket first and, without even looking at the other person in the water with him, began swimming for the shore.

“Get the doughnut,” he shouted. “Another wave will capsize them.”

It took all his strength to get to shallow water, but the man was there waiting for him and scooped the child out of his arms. “My wife and daughter, they’re still out there,” he said, pointing to the water. “You have to help them.”

Gathering the last of his strength, he waded back into the water, then let his magic come to the surface until he felt the burst of power fill him before diving in again. With the magic flowing through his veins, he shot through the water,barely keeping the creature inside him contained but using its strength to fuel him. It was a delicate balance, but it was a life-and-death situation. He had to risk a full shift if he was going to save the woman and child.

He could see the other swimmer as he came up out of the water on the other side of the doughnut but turned his focus to the shore, using the last of his strength to propel them through the water. When they got close enough, hands reached out to grab the raft, and he let it go, stumbled out of the water, and collapsed onto the sand. He was only vaguely aware of a woman collapsing next to him, her breath coming in short gasps as she tried to fill her lungs with more air.

It took him several minutes to shut down his magic, the creature inside him still determined to get out, but he fought for control through the deep exhaustion that was settling over him. As the magic faded away, his muscles began to throb in protest, and he groaned, then rolled onto his back, squinting up at the sun, wondering if he’d ever be able to walk again.

He slowly became aware of the commotion on the beach, and then a woman leaned over him. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Do you want me to help you sit up?”

“I’m all right, but I think I need a minute before I sit up,” he said, embarrassed. “You don’t have to wait with me.”

“Sorry, it’s my job,” the woman said, pointing to her scrubs. “That was quite the swim you just took. I’m here to make sure you’re not injured.”

“You should check on…the woman…” he panted. “She might be in worse shape than me. She was out there longer.”

“There’s already someone looking after her,” the woman said. “Let’s you and I just worry about you.”

She helped him sit up. His head swam for a second, then cleared, and he looked over to make sure the woman wasokay. A man was helping her sit up, and for a moment, he thought it was the woman from the day before; the red hair was just right, but then she turned to face him, and everything froze. A pair of green eyes he hadn’t seen in almost six years stared back at him. His breath froze in his throat, his heart skipped a beat, the dizziness returned, and all he could do was return her gaze, thinking that he still loved her as much as he ever had.

***Wren***

Wren’s head was spinning, her lungs on fire, and her vision a little blurred as she turned to look at the man sitting next to her on the beach. It took her a second to focus on him, but when his features finally became clear, she didn’t believe what she was seeing for several long heartbeats. Time seemed to stand still as she sank into his brown eyes like she had so many times before. A burst of warmth flowed through her making her entire body begin to tingle, and she sucked in a shocked breath.

“Are you okay?” the man hovering over her shoulder asked. “I think we should get you back to the village. You might be in shock.”

She realized that she’d begun to tremble; her breath was coming in short gasps, and then Susan was standing in front of her. “Let’s get her out of here,” she said, giving Blake a dirty look. “She’s had enough for one day.”

Just then, a man came running down the beach, his face filled with concern. “Is everyone okay?” he asked, then knelt down on the sand next to her. “I’m Max, the owner of the resort. You’re a very brave young woman. Let’s get you back to the village so the doctor can take a look at you.”

He scooped her up out of the sand before she couldprotest and started for the village, Susan trailing along behind him, Blake still sitting in the sand fading slowly from view. Wondering if she really was in shock, she forced herself to take deep breaths until the trembling stopped, but calming the thoughts bouncing around in her head was a different matter. Her greatest hope and fear had just come true, Blake had reappeared in her life. Worse, there was no escape, they were on the island together, and there was no way she’d be able to avoid seeing him.

Fear suddenly shot through her, the words Blake’s mother had said to her all those years ago flooding her mind, and she realized that no matter what else happened, he couldn’t find out about their son. Theo meant everything to her; she couldn’t risk losing him, couldn’t imagine her life without him, and knew that with their money and power, she didn’t stand a chance, they’d take him away from her just like his mother had promised all those years ago.

When panic threatened to gain control, she fought it off, reminding herself that it was up to her to protect her son from Blake and his parents. Keeping him a secret was the only way to do that. Forcing herself to calm down, she began to think about what she would say to Blake when he finally caught up to her, formulating the lies that would hold him off until she could get off the island and away from him.

By the time Max deposited her on a bed in the small infirmary at the back of the main building in the village, she’d convinced herself that she was ready to see Blake. “There now, that’s better,” Max said, stepping away from her. “The doctor should be here soon to check on you. In the meantime, I’ll get you some water and maybe a little snack.”

“Thank you, that might help,” she said, a little tremor still in her voice. “I’m feeling a bit run down.”

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