Page 26 of Lahaina Noon

“Although we dragons know what the prophecy says, none have been able to truly understand what it means. As with most prophecies,it’s vague and more of a riddle. What we do know, however, is that it points to two people, either of whom can supposedly bring about the end of the Shadow tribe. We don’t know how or in what way, but we do know that it seems it will happen sometime in the next few months. This is known to dragon and shadow alike.” He paused and looked at her. She wasn’t moving, just hanging onto his every word with rapt attention. “They’ve already found one of those two people, and unfortunately, they killed him before we could stop them. Most regular people can’t see the Shadows unless they want to be seen. He never had a chance.” He stopped again and looked down at his sandwich, picking at it, having no appetite. He didn’t want to say this. He experienced a sickening dread building within him and his stomach twisted in knots.

“Who’s the second?” she whispered fearfully, already scared that she seemed to know the answer.

He stared up into her eyes, his pleading for forgiveness. He finally replied in a voice filled with sorrow, “You.”

Chapter 16

“Iknew it!” sheranted, stomping back and forth across the trail by their bench. “I just knew it was too good to be true.” She walked by, and Vaughn reached out to grab her hand. She shook him off and kept up her pacing. “Of course, it’s me. Gorgeous man who looks like sex incarnate takes an interest in me. Oh, and he’s not just hot, he’s kind, thoughtful, funny, appreciates my stupid jokes and is crazy smart. Let’s not forget he’s a DRAGON!” she shouted. “He thinks I’m smart, my friends like him. Hell, my son worships the ground he walks on.” She threw her hands up in the air. “I was just offered the opportunity of a lifetime with a role I can kick ass at, an amazing office at a major company, a chance to travel, and my new boss fucks like a god, and I’m a damsel in some romance novel.”

She whirled around and stared him down. “And now, you tell me some fucking shadow king who thinks he’s the Angel of Death wants me dead because some dude thousands of years ago picked me at random to be some sort of… what? A hero of prophecy to end a race of soul-selling shadow assholes? Is that what you are telling me, Vaughn Drake? Is that what the fuck, you are telling me right now?” she seethed.

He could see her shaking in her anger, and it was glorious. He decided it was best not to tell her how much he was turned on right now. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate it. “Well,” he said cautiously, “I wouldn’t have summarized it quite like that, but yeah, I guess that pretty much sums it up.” He paused, then grinned at her, “You think I fuck like a god?”

Bridget stared at him, speechless.

He batted his eyes at her, and she couldn’t hold on to her anger anymore.

She laughed until she had to sit down in the grass and cried.

He sat next to her, putting his arms around her quaking shoulders. “I’m so sorry, my love,” he said, “I didn’t want to tell you, but you needed to know. I promised you I wouldn’t hurt you, and here you are, hurting. I’m so, so, sorry, dear Bridget. I know it’s scary, but I won’t let anything happen to you. You are mine!” he growled.

She lifted her face and dashed away her tears. She sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m not hurt, Vaughn,” she murmured into his neck, “I’m fucking pissed.”

There didn’t seem to be much to say to that.

“Why?” she sniffed.

“Why what?”

“Why me? I get that this prophecy said so, but what’s so special about me? I’m nobody. I’m just a woman from Texas with a teenage son, a mortgage, and three cats. What could I possibly do?” she whispered, despair seeming to swamp her.

“Bridget, don’t say that. You are so much more. I don’t understand how someone as beautiful and vibrant as you doesn’t know how special you truly are.” He gave her a light shake.

She gave him a watery smile, “I bet you say that to all the women of prophecy.”

“Wielder.”

“Wield what?” She looked at him in puzzlement.

“Wielder of Prophecy. That’s what you are. Bridget, you aren’t just a person at random. You are descended from a long line of Wielders. You didn’t know because no one ever trained you. But your power is manifesting. That’s why you’ve been getting shocked and zapped. You can wield energy and when the Shadows get near, it starts responding. You need to learn how to control it. And that’s why the Shadow is coming after you harder now. They know that you are developing what you need to take them down.”

Bridget held up her hands and looked at them. “Magic wielder.” she tried out the words. She turned her hands over and wiggled her fingers. A slight current ran through them. “Holy cow!” she whispered and looked up at Vaughn.

He smiled. “Gabe is going to love that.”

Vaughn and Bridget sat there for a few minutes in the grass, watching pigeons inch closer to their discarded sandwiches. They ignored the stares of people who walked by with two beautiful Golden Retrievers on leashes. One of the dogs strained on his leash towards them, but a low-pitched growl from Vaughn’s chest sent him running the other way, dragging his owner along behind him.

Bridget laughed, “My hero, defender of damsels from shaggy dogs.”

“You forgot the part where I’m amazing in bed,” he said with a straight face.

Bridget laughed again, “I never should have admitted that. You aren’t going to let that go, are you?” She looked up at him.

He smiled down at her and shook his head. He placed a kiss gently on her lips, then stood. He held out a hand and helped her to her feet. “Let’s go back to my place so I can change, then I’ll take you home and we can grab Gabriel and some of your belongings. You’ll be safer at my house tonight. We still need to ward your house.”

Bridget stared at him for a minute, opened her mouth then closed it. She was about to lay into him for being a high-handed alpha male when she saw a shadow drawing up behind him. She froze in place and noticed Vaughn’s body tense as well.

He whirled to face the shadow as it widened into a man-shaped form. Vaughn whispered, “Stay behind me.”

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