Page 15 of Dragon's Midlife Secret Baby
“I can’t imagine what creature would be stronger than one of us,” Griffin commented.
“It’s not like that.” Beck struggled to put it intowords because what he experienced was more visceral than anything. “I’m not talking about teeth and claws. It was something much more powerful.”
More sensations flooded through him. He remembered deep isolation, loneliness, and fear. That urge to fight back was continual throughout all of it, but his ability to do so diminished as time passed. That sense of helplessness created a panic within him. His heart rate skyrocketed, and the pit of his stomach fell away. “I think that’s enough.”
With more swiftness than he’d thought possible, Beck shifted back. He let go of his dragon and slipped back into his human form. The quick change in perspective and feeling made Beck question for a moment if his human form itself was a sort of prison, but as soon as Chelsea touched his arm again, he remembered that it couldn’t be. It was still a part of him.
“Well?” Ewan prompted. “Are you your old self again?”
He controlled his breath, making it deep and even. Right now, that was the only thing Beck felt hecouldcontrol. “I think I understand more of who I am, at least. I didn’t even know that I was a shifter until Chelsea and her family told me, so actually, being in that other form does help. As far as mymemory is concerned, it’s still about the same. I remember more now about how things felt, but that’s about it.”
“Any idea of who did this?” Kendrick asked, his voice low and somber. “We’ve missed you, and we’re glad to have you back. That’s important, but if someone came after you, we need to figure out who they are and what they wanted.”
Though Beck could see logic in what his uncle said, he couldn’t help. “I have no idea. There’s no name or face that comes up. It’s just the overwhelming sense of being trapped. I don’t think I was able to shift, either. I think they somehow managed to keep me in my human form. That much I’d already learned in my hypnosis session.”
“I wonder how anyone could do that,” Ewan mused.
“I don’t know,” Beck admitted, using a phrase that came out of his mouth far too often. “I felt like I was tied up, but I don’t remember any actual ropes or chains or anything.”
“Do you smell something burning?” Lilith asked. “Oh, the chili!” She dashed off toward the kitchen.
“Don’t mind her,” Ewan laughed. “A few hundred years on this planet, and she’s still a teenager at heart. And don’t worry about your memories, either.We’ll get it all sorted out. We’ve all taken care of each other for a long time now. Nothing has changed over a couple of years.”
Chelsea cleared her throat. “Can I ask a question?”
Kendrick nodded. “Of course.”
She glanced at Beck and then turned back to the older man. “I didn’t know what’d happened to Beck. It was like he just disappeared. My family and I tried hard to find him, using every resource we had. I’ve always wondered if you were trying to find him, too.”
Griffin shrugged a narrow shoulder. “Just like with any other shifters, we can only really sense each other when in our dragon forms. If Beck stayed human, then it’s not like we could really track him down.”
“Didn’t you think it was odd that he was gone?” she pressed. “Ewan, when you saw us out on the street, you acted more like you were bumping into an old friend rather than finding a missing person.”
Ewan ran a hand through his hair. “You heard Lilith a minute ago talking about living in Paris. That was something she did completely on her own. She wasn’t with the rest of us, and that’s not unusual. When you live as long as we do, you tend to want a little time alone every now and then.We wondered about Beck since it wasn’t really like him to just disappear without saying anything.”
“We did look for you,” Kendrick said directly to his nephew. “We tried several times to contact you and even searched for you. After a while, there wasn’t much more we could do. It disturbs me that perhaps we were a bit too patient.”
“Don’t worry about it.” It bothered Beck, but only because he knew he’d so badly wished for some way out of the hell he’d been living. The most important thing was that it was over now.
“Snack?” Corbin said. “Snack, Mommy?”
Before Beck could ask, Kendrick was already gesturing toward the door Lilith had gone through. “If you want to take him in the kitchen, I’m sure Lilith will help you find something.” He smiled at the boy as Chelsea and Corbin passed him. When she’d gone, he turned back to Beck. “Come with me for a minute.”
Beck followed him through a different doorway and into a separate room. This one was also moodily decorated, with dark paneling and leather furniture. Built-in shelves were packed with old books.
Kendrick moved over to a minibar near the window and opened a crystal decanter. “You look like you could use some scotch.”
“Do I like it?” Beck asked wryly. He felt it should be getting easier, but it was only getting harder to accept that everyone else knew him better than he knew himself.
“You tell me.” Kendrick handed him a small glass. “Personally, I think anyone who’s had their mind erased could use a stiff drink. I’ve only heard about it from you, and I sure need one.” He knocked his own drink back in one gulp and poured another.
Beck took a careful sip instead. It burned pleasantly in his mouth and throat, and he sipped some more. It probably wouldn’t help him recall anything, but at least it would make everything else a little more pleasant. “Thank you.”
Kendrick replied only with a firm nod. He stood looking out the window for a long moment. “I did wonder about you, Beck. You were always responsible. You took your role as future Alpha seriously, and I knew it wasn’t like you to just run off, not even for the sake of a pretty girl.”
Beck allowed himself a bit of a smile as he thought about Chelsea. “I can’t tell you if I would’ve run off or not, but I do think Chelsea is worth it.”
“She’s your mate.” It wasn’t a question but a statement as Kendrick turned and seated himself not far from Beck. “She’s also given you a wonderfulson. These are the kinds of things all of us want in life. And before you ask me, yes. I think you wanted it just as much before as you do now. I can see in your eyes how much she means to you, and you’re very fortunate that the two of you were able to reconnect so quickly.”
