The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines
Chapter Fourteen – Ivan
The trip through the fae realm was not as interesting as he’d hoped.
Perhaps that’s a good thing, his dragon said drily.
I expected it to be different. Larisa is right, this part of the realm looks similar to Wishing Moon Bay.Ivan stretched, he’d been sitting in the truck too long and wanted to get out and stretch his legs.
I’d like to stretch my wings, his dragon replied.
Now that would make things more interesting. Ivan glanced out of the window. The flora is different. I have never seen those fruits in Wishing Moon Bay or the world beyond.
The fruit he referred to was about a half a foot long, red, and lumpy.
“Lycril,” Karros told them. “It’s good for stomachache.”
“Your Grandma Hannah knows a lot about this stuff, doesn’t she?” Larisa asked. “You did call her a wise woman.”
“She is. What she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing. At least that’s what my mom always said.” Karros pointed to the right. “There’s a road up ahead. We need to take it and follow it for a couple of miles.”
Zara nodded and turned right, the temperature in the truck dropped as they followed the road which was bordered on both sides by trees that formed a tunnel with their branches.
“What is that?” Larisa pointed to a shrub with bright yellow flowers.
“It’s a sunbrea. The flowers are used to make a tonic that helps soothe sunburn.” Karros rolled down his window and rested his chin on the door.
“Do you miss living here?” Ivan asked.
Zara glanced sideways at her mate, waiting for him to answer.
“Sometimes, but we visit often. And I like living in Wishing Moon Bay because I have more freedom over my life. Here, there are certain expectations. And my family thinks they have the right to interfere.” Karros stuck his hand out of the window and grabbed a handful of nuts from a bush on the side of the road. “Stolaard. They are nutritious and filling. A person can survive on a handful of these for days.”
“A fae might,” Zara replied lightly. “But I bet a shifter would need at least three handfuls.”
Karros chuckled. “I have seen how much your brothers eat.”
“And don’t bring those back to Wishing Moon Bay,” Ivan added. “I’d be out of business if people didn’t need to eat more food.”
“I said you could survive on them,” Karros replied. “I didn’t say they tasted good. Your restaurant is safe, don’t worry.”
“Good.” Ivan held out his hand. “Can I try one?”
“Sure.” Karros dropped one into his hand. “Larisa?”
“I’ll try anything once.” She took one of the nuts and examined it closely before sniffing it.
“You have to crack it open with the heel of your hand on a hard surface.” Karros placed one of the nuts on the dashboard and rolled the heel of his hand over the nut before pushing down firmly.
“Don’t damage the interior,” Zara warned. “Aiden will go crazy if there’s a dent anywhere in his precious truck.”
“There.” Karros held up the nut and wiped the dashboard clean with his sleeve. “No trace. Want to try one?” He offered the nut to Zara who wrinkled her nose.
“It smells.” Zara shook her head. “Karros wasn’t joking, your business is safe. No one would want to eat those nuts unless their life depended on it.”
Ivan winked at Larisa and rolled his nut with the heel of his hand, then pressed down hard. There was a satisfying crack, and he was rewarded with a small pale, cream-colored nut. He picked it up and sniffed it. Zara was right, it smelled like someone had forgotten to take the trash out. He popped it in his mouth and chewed. It tasted as bad as it smelled, and he opened his pack and pulled out his water bottle.
“That’s good?” Larisa had cracked her nut but didn’t eat it.
“It tastes like garbage,” Ivan told her.
Larisa screwed up her face, opened her mouth, and popped the nut onto her tongue. With a disgusted expression on her face, she chewed and quickly swallowed the nut. “That is gross.”
Ivan handed her the water bottle. “But uniquely satisfying.”
“Mmm.” Larisa didn’t look too convinced.
“Here, I brought some food.” Ivan grabbed the pack which contained the food he’d brought.
“Shouldn’t we save that in case we need it later?” Zara asked. “We don’t know where this little adventure is going to end.”
“Don’t worry, Grandma Hannah will have something tasty for us to eat. She likes to cook for her visitors.” Karros watched the road ahead. “The turn-off is coming up soon.”
A half an hour later, they arrived in a small clearing set back from the road. In the center of the clearing was a wooden cabin with herbs drying on the porch. A large tabby cat jumped down from a rocking chair and stretched before watching them lazily.
“This is it.” Karros opened the truck door and got out. “Hey there, Tillywig. Are you coming to say hello?” The cat stared at him for a moment and then sauntered over to them. “Have you got a purr for me?”
“There you are!” The cabin door opened and an elderly, but sprightly, woman dressed in tan cotton pants and hiking boots came out to meet them.
“Hey, Grandma Hannah.” Karros rubbed Tillywig’s chin and then stood up. “This is Larisa, and this is Ivan.”
Grandma Hannah turned her head from side to side as she stared at Ivan. “The spell worked?”
“It did.” Ivan nodded.
“Good. Good.” She beckoned to them and headed back toward the cabin. “You should come inside. I don’t know how long the spell will keep working. It’s been a long time since I used it.”
Ivan’s heart thundered in his chest. “But have you used it before?”
Grandma Hannah stopped and turned to face Ivan. “I was asked to cast the spell before. Yes. A long time ago.”
“Do you know who it was for?” Larisa asked quietly.
“Do you know the name of the dragon shifter you used it on?” Ivan’s nostrils flared as his dragon pushed to be allowed free, but Ivan kept him in check.
If she doesn’t tell us, we should make her tell,his dragon was unusually riled.
You need to stay calm,Ivan told him.
“I was never told his name. The less anyone knew the better.” Grandma Hannah came toward him. “You want to know if it was your father.”
“Yes.” Ivan nodded.
“I wish I could tell you. But I honestly don’t know.” Her eyes were full of sympathy, and it was impossible not to believe her.
“So why did you do it?” Larisa asked. “The fae don’t like dragons so you didn’t cast the spell because it was for a friend. So why?”
Grandma Hannah’s eyes narrowed as she switched her attention to Larisa. “A good question.”
“And the answer?” Larisa pushed for the information.
“Because a good friend asked me to cast the spell.” She gave a small laugh. “And I was young and wanted to know if I could do it. The spell was old, and since the fae and dragons don’t mix, it hadn’t been used for years. When I cast it, there was a certain thrill in knowing I was the only one who knew the spell.” She sighed and her shoulders slumped forward. “It was the moment I knew how powerful magic could be. It was the moment that set me on the path to where I am now.”
“Fate,” Karros murmured.
Grandma Hannah nodded. “Fate.” She looked down at the ground before she raised her eyes to meet Ivan’s. “If I had to guess, since you are standing here, I would say that the spell was for your father.”
Ivan stepped back as if she’d punched him in the gut.
“But I think you already guessed that, didn’t you, Ivan Kelts, dragon shifter?” Grandma Hannah had a way of looking right through you, as if she could see the very essence of you.
She makes my scales crawl,his dragon said drily.
Ivan chuckled. You’re being paranoid.
How do we know she isn’t part of the reason our family was murdered?His dragon didn’t like this at all.
She’s trying to help us. As Karros said, we’re family now. I doubt Grandma Hannah would do anything to hurt us. Not when both Karros and Elise would suffer because of it.Ivan was certain they could trust Grandma Hannah, just as he trusted his brothers’ mates. She might be a fae but not all fae hated dragons.
They don’t hate us, Ivan’s dragon said. They’re wary of us. But why?
Maybe we’ll find out one day. But we’re not here to solve the whole dragon and fae issue, we’re here to get the information we need. And whether you like it or not, Grandma Hannah is our best chance of doing just that.
His dragon puffed out a plume of smoke. It was the closest Ivan was likely to get to an agreement from his other side.
He just hoped he wouldn’t live to regret his decision.