Page 128 of Saving the Last Heir
“Yes,” Ayumundi grunted. “I like the quiet.”
We left the room and closed the door behind us.
“Well,he’snot very pleasant,” Mom said, crossing her arms and glaring at the door.
The next couple of weeks blew by in a storm of happy chaos. More dragons returned—over fifty in total. Tormynd returned the day after my father got back. He’d only been imprisoned for a short time, but he still looked relieved to be back. And we were ecstatic to have him home. Every day there seemed to be another reunion, and it had been years since I’d seen such happiness and excitement in the house.
“I home?” Tormynd asked when he arrived at the mansion the morning of his return.
“You are,” I said, hugging him and laughing. “You are home, my friend. Welcome back.”
He shook his head with wonder. “I was at weird place. All sky. No ground. I fly.”
“It’s okay,” I said, patting him on the chest. “You’re safe now. It’s all over.”
He smiled, then narrowed his eyes as he tried to focus on his words, speaking slowly to ensure that he got his point across. “Iam glad I see you and others again, Jackson. I thought I never see again.”
“We’re glad too, buddy,” I said, embracing him again.
Over the years, the curse hadn’t been the only thing that took other winged dragons from us. Those not taken by The Vanishing had died from more natural causes. Between the two, it had left our numbers perilously low, and this influx of winged dragon shifters was something none of us could have anticipated. With no other idea of where to go, all of them arrived at our home, looking for guidance, help, and to find their loved ones. Some had been gone for decades and had to be eased back into modern life.
Dad took up the mantle of alpha once more, but made sure I was by his side for every decision.
“You led our people,” he said one night over dinner, reaching out and grasping my hand. “You led them through something I can’t even imagine. You deserve to standbesideme, notbehindme.”
Helping Dad find housing for the returned dragons didn’t stop me from visiting Shyanne. Wild dragons couldn’t have kept me from her. We tried to spend at least a few minutes a day together, but usually I was able to carve out a few hours. It was during one of these afternoon get-togethers at her garage that I brought Jacqueline along. When I arrived, Mariposa and Mikey were doing homework in the waiting area.
When Mariposa saw the baby in my arms, she and Mikey leaped to their feet, huge grins on their faces.
“Oh!” Mariposa shouted, clapping her hands together. “She’s so cute.”
Mikey nodded and gently touched Jacqueline’s hand. The baby paid him back by slapping his fingers.
“Ouch, you little butthead,” he cried, pulling his hand back.
I laughed, barely able to control myself. “Funny you should say that. You just guessed her nickname.”
“Well, hello there,” Shyanne said from the door.
“Hey,” I said, smiling. No matter how many times I saw her, a grin seemed to magically appear on my face any time I was in her presence. “I thought I’d stop by, do a bit of work, and maybe we could have dinner after?”
These days, my work consisted of running down leads on the location of the other orbs. I wouldn’t rest until every winged dragon held captive in those magical prisons was set free. Set free, and their jailers sent to an early grave.
“Sure thing.” Shyanne wrapped her arms around me and gave me a long, lingering kiss.
“Eww,” Mikey groaned. “You gotta stop.”
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Shyanne said when we finished.
“Yuck, I hope not,” he said.
“Will you guys watch her while I make some calls?” I asked as I put Jacqueline down on the floor.
“Yes,” Mariposa said, eyes bright with excitement. She plopped down beside Jacqueline and immediately began a game of peek-a-boo. Leaving my sister in good hands, I followed Shyanne to her office.
“Any luck with the Asian orb?” Shyanne asked.
“That’s what I’m working on today. I’ve got a call scheduled with a fox shifter in Japan who may have had some dealings with a yakuza drake. Rumor is, this guy may be in possession of that orb. Looks like all these people are criminal douchebags. Not surprising, really,” I said.
