Page 1 of Kingston
Prologue
Kaida walked up and down the street a third time.Something or someone was calling for her, and she didn’t understand the freaking magic that was having her walking the street like some kind of idiot.As she passed the restaurant once more, she decided that she was going to eat.Maybe that was all it was.She needed some food, and the magic was telling her to get her ass in gear and eat.
“You couldn’t just say that, could you?”Waiting to be seated, she felt this was right.The place was calling to her, and she was going to sit down and have a good meal.As she was being seated, Kaida bumped ever so slightly into the waitress who was coming toward her and nearly fell to the ground when the surge of power washed over her.Sitting down rather than chancing another step, the woman asked her if she was all right.Simply putting her hand onto her arm told her everything she needed to know about the other woman.
“He’s coming for you.Today.You’re not safe here.”The girl looked around before jerking her arm from her.“He’s your ex-husband, and he wants your son.I can protect you.”
“What are you talking about?”She laughed, but it was strained.“I don’t have any children, nor have I ever been married.”Pulling her hand to her, she pointed to the marks where a band might have been.
His name is Jason, and your name is Skye.Your last name is Houston, but you changed it to Wilson so that you could find a job.The people here think that your first name is Amanda.Your son’s name is Matt.He’s ten.Very smart for his age because you’ve been tutoring him for the last four years.”She put her hand on her arm again.“Your parents are both dead, and you believe that Jason killed them.Your son is right now hiding out in an abandoned home so that he can be safe.”
“What are you talking about?”Skye looked around before standing up.“Lady, I don’t know where you got your information, but you’re wrong.About it all.”
“He’ll be coming through the door with a gun in about two minutes.”Instead of arguing with her more, she took off her apron and headed to the back of the place.Kaida told her to come and sit with her.He’d never see her if she did.“I promise you, Skye, he’ll never touch either of you again.”
Instead of arguing anymore, she slipped into the empty booth next to them, and Kaida joined her.Almost as soon as she put her arm around her shoulder, the door opened, and just as she said, a man came in with a gun pointed at the place.The small whimper that Skye made had nearly had her jump out of her skin when the man looked in their direction.
Shooting his gun to the ceiling, he asked where she was.He was looking for Skye Houston, and they had better turn her over to him, or he’ll kill someone every ten minutes if they don’t bring her to him.
“I don’t know any Skye Houston.”The manager looked around and then back to the man.“I have staff here by the name of Amanda and Carol Anne.Other than that, I can’t help you.”
Jason pointed the gun at the man’s head, and it was all she could do not to get up and slam her magic into the man and kill him.Instead, she reached out to all the family and begged them to come to her.That she had a problem she was in over her head with.It was Tucker who answered her first and asked her where she was.
After telling them all what was going on she also told them that she was hiding a woman by the name of Skye.Also, that someone needed to go and get her son, or he might well be in trouble as well.It was Kings that said he’d get the boy, at least make sure that he was all right.
She knew that Skye’s son would be all right with Kings watching over him, and she was never so happy with anyone as she was to see Tucker and Brenin come into the place next.With a short pop to the back of the head, the man was down, and his gun went flying.
For the silence when the man fell to the floor, there was so much noise that she wanted to clamp her hand over Skye’s mouth to shut her up.Instead, all she did was put her hands over hers and tell her to calm down.
“I have to go to Matt.”She told her that he was fine.The look she gave her had Kaida thinking that she didn’t believe her.“He’s all I have in the world.We’ve been running for the last five years, and I need to keep him safe.”
“I understand that.But he’s with my cousin-in-law, and he’s bringing him here to you.But you have to think for me.What is the code name that you use to know that it’s safe to go with him.”She told her that it wasApril Showers bring May flowers.“That’s a good one.I love it.All right, Kings is bringing him here.Then we’ll head to our house and see what we can do about keeping the two of you safe from now on.I’m under the opinion that we just bury him in the back yard someplace there are red ants, but that’s just me.”
Skye laughed.It was nervous sounding but not nearly as stressed as before.The police arrived and no one mentioned that he was there for Skye.Amanda Wilson would be safe as well as the owner of the place was going to fire her for leaving in the middle of the shift.Kaida was able to get her out of the place without anyone seeing her.
“I need some juice.”There was a juice bar not far from where they were, so she and Skye headed there.“I was told that when I use a lot of magic that I was going to need to have more fruit and juices in me.”Kaida babbled on while Skye looked around.
She didn’t know if she was worried that someone might recognize her or if she was looking for her son.But when Kings showed up with him in his car, the reunion was tearful.She was glad now that she didn’t ignore the need to get out of the house and walk the streets.Kaida was sure that she had saved the woman, for he would have killed her to get to her son.
After heading back to their home, she got herself another glass of juice.She expected Tucker to ask her what she’d been doing, but all he did was ask her if she was all right.She was, she told him, but for being really dry.
He went into the kitchen and brought her back a large pitcher of what looked like orange juice.She nearly drained it in favor of talking.When she was feeling better, she turned and looked at Skye and her son.
“How did you know?”Confused for a second, she asked her what she meant.“About him coming to get me.For all I know, you told him where I was, and when he brought in the—don’t answer that.I’m sorry.You wouldn’t have risked your life if that had been the issue.But I would like to know how you did that.”
“What do you know about the Savage family?”She said that it was reported that they were shifters, dragons of all things.“They’re both.Shifters and dragons.I’m mated to Tucker, now married, and with that, I was able to get some of his magic and a bit of my own.When asked by the council, they said that I must have had a dragon sometime in my family, and that’s why I can do as many, if not a few, extra things that Tucker can’t do.You needing help from me called to me while I was home, and I came to figure it out.”
She went on to tell her how she was ready to give up and get some lunch when she bumped into her.Telling her what she got from that small touch.It was Tucker who finished up for her.
“My little dragon called for help, and we came to help her.I’ve seen Mr.Houston in—” she told them that she’d never been married to Jason, but he’d asked her out, and things went downhill from there.“I’m sorry then.Is Matt his son?”
“No.He’s not really mine, either.I was on the run, and so was he.But someone put a flyer out for a million dollars if they were to bring Matt back to them.He said that he didn’t know where they were going to get that much money, as they always told him that they were broke.”She looked at the young man, and when he nodded, she continued.“They do have money.A great deal of it.But they only brought Matt around when they had people over for dinner and such.He’s very brilliant and can read something once, and he knows it word for word.Other things as well, but he didn’t want to betheir…he called it a dog and pony show anymore, so he ran away about the same time that I did, and we just clicked.”
When dinner was served, the two of them looked as if they were going to sob.Apparently, it was the first hot meal they’d had since getting together and on the run.Even the meal that she got at work, she’d bring it back to the house and share it with him.
After dinner, Tucker made a few calls.They were going to be safe in their home.As soon as she showed them their rooms, she was sure that they could have slept standing up.Since she had no idea how to give magic to someone, Kaida asked Tucker to give them the magic of clothing.Skye said it had been several days since she’d been able to get to the laundromat, and she needed some clean clothing on her back.Everywhere else, she told her too.
She was nearly ready for bed, too, when Matt came to find them.He said that he wanted to talk to them since they’d been so kind as to help him out of the situation that they’d been in.
