Page 39 of Dragon Daddy's Second Chance

He shot toward the mountain, his eyes scanning the ground, hoping to catch a glimpse of Wren, but it wasn’t until the cliff came into view that he saw her. Standing with his mother and Theo, her back to the drop over the side, she had her feet planted and looked ready for a fight. Still too far away to do anything, he was forced to watch as the three danced around the tiny ledge, his entire future suddenly balanced on nothing more than a few feet of rock. Lettingout a cry, he gathered his strength and flew as fast as he could toward the two people who meant the most to him in the world.

***Wren***

“Mommy, Mommy,” Theo cried when Wren stepped onto the cliff. “Help me, Mommy, this lady won’t let me go.”

“I told you that I’m your grandmother, you little brat,” Belinda said, shaking him. “Now, stand still. You’re not going with your mother, you’re coming home with me. I already told you that. We’re just here to tell her goodbye. She’s going to take a little trip off the cliff. It will only take a second, and then we’ll go get you some ice cream. Won’t that be nice?”

“I don’t want ice cream, I want my mommy,” Theo cried, tears running down his cheeks. “Let me go. I’m going with her, and you can’t stop me.”

“Oh, I can, and I will; it’s about time someone taught you some discipline,” Belinda said, giving Theo a shove away from the edge of the cliff, knocking him onto his butt. “Stay there and don’t move, or I may throw you over the cliff too.”

Theo backed away from the woman and Belinda turned on her, a mad look in her eyes. She began to walk toward her, and for a second, Wren was scared. She’d taken a couple of steps before she realized that Belinda was pushing her toward the edge, so she planted her feet, preparing for a fight. She’d known what she was walking into, known that it wasn’t Theo Blake’s mother wanted dead, it was her, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.

“Getting rid of me isn’t going to fix anything,” she said, taking a step away from the cliff. “Blake isn’t going to come crawling back to you if you kill me, and Theo will hate you for the rest of his life.”

“You’re wrong, I know all about bonds, don’t think Idon’t,” Belinda sneered at her. “Do you think I would still be with that pathetic thing I have to call my husband if I didn’t have to be? And then it turns out my son is the same kind of filthy beast. It’s just not fair, I was supposed to have the perfect life, I was supposed to have everything I wanted. Blake was my last chance to be at the top of society, and I refuse to let you spoil that. He will have the wife I chose, and the wedding of the century.”

“Belinda, this is crazy; you don’t want to do this,” she said, stalling for time, sure that Blake would get there and save them. “It’s not going to work, just think about it.”

“I have been thinking about it. You have to die, it’s the only way,” Belinda said, then looked over at Theo huddled in the dirt. “I was willing to take on your brat, teach him to be a civilized human, but…”

Belinda strode over to Theo, grabbed him by the arm, dragged him over to the edge of the cliff, and then gave him a good shake. “I changed my mind. It would all be easier if I didn’t have to deal with either of you,” she said. “Who wants to go first?”

Wren was frozen in place, unable to believe for a second that Belinda would throw Theo off the cliff, and then her maternal instincts took over. “I’ll jump, just don’t push Theo over,” she said. “You win, you can have him.”

“Well, get on with it,” Belinda said, pushing Theo closer to the edge. Jump, or I’ll push him, I swear.”

Wren turned to face the drop, her legs trembling, hoping that Belinda would let Theo live if she jumped. Then, she took a deep breath and looked out in front of her. She’d just picked up her foot when she saw Blake soaring toward them, his body gleaming in the sunlight, and knew that Theo would be safe. Belinda saw him at the same time and, with a frustrated scream, ran at her, then gave her a huge shove.

***Blake***

Blake’s heart stopped the moment Wren’s feet were no longer on solid ground, and he dove for her, afraid that he wouldn’t make it on time. “Get Theo,” Wren screamed as she fell, pointing up to the edge of the cliff. “Don’t let him die.”

Torn between the woman he loved and his son, he hesitated for a second, then something strange began to happen. The jungle under Wren began to shiver and shake, the limbs of the trees began to slowly wind together, creating a blanket of leaves, and he understood instantly what was happening. Changing direction, he headed for the cliff, cursing his indecision when he saw his mother trying to push Theo off the edge.

Theo was fighting back, shoving his mother as much as she was shoving him, but eventually, the older woman got the upper hand, and with a triumphant scream, Theo went sailing over the edge. Horrified, he gathered the last of his strength and dove for his son, managed to catch him mid-air, and then pulled him close to his body. Theo squirmed in his arms, trying to look at the ground below, but he held him close until he saw Wren standing safely in a small clearing.

He landed near her and then let Theo go, watching as the boy ran to his mother and threw himself into her arms. Wren collapsed onto the ground with him, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes locked on him so full of love that it took his breath away for a second. Shutting down his magic, he walked toward them, then back in his human form, knelt next to the pair, and put his arms around them.

They stayed that way for a long time, and then Theo pulled back and looked up at him, a look of amazement on his face. “You turned into a dragon, and the jungle saved Mommy,” he said, then tilted his head, a frown on his face. “Will I be able to become a dragon someday, too?”

“I sure hope so,” Wren said, looking up at him, her face stained with tears. “Your dad has a very special gift, and I’m very proud of him, but it’s a secret, the biggest secret you have to keep.”

“I’m good at keeping secrets,” Theo said, a look of pride on his face. “Can you shift again and give me a ride?”

Blake looked over at Wren. “He’s five,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “And he just found out his dad is a dragon shifter.”

“Okay, kiddo, but just a short one,” he said, getting to his feet. “Then we’d better get your mom back to the cabin. She looks a little worn out.”

***Wren***

Wren sat next to Blake, listening to their guests having fun and watching the sun set on the water, brilliant pinks, reds, and oranges, the perfect ending to a day she would never forget. Susan had promised the wedding of her dreams, and with a little help, she had delivered. The rings were on their fingers, the promises had been made, and they had their entire lives ahead of them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier,” Blake said, looking over at her with a tender smile on his face. “Thank you for marrying me.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she said, smiling at him. “I’ll marry you every day for the rest of our lives if it means I’ll be this happy.”

Blake laughed, “That might be hard to pull off, but I can think of other ways to keep you happy,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “I’m working on something special for later tonight, in fact, so you’d better save some energy.”

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