Cole: House of Wilkshire ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  World Castle Publishing, LLC

  Pensacola, Florida

  Copyright © Kathi S. Barton 2020

  Paperback ISBN: 9781953271402

  eBook ISBN: 9781953271419

  First Edition World Castle Publishing, LLC, November 23, 2020

  http://www.worldcastlepublishing.com

  Licensing Notes

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  Cover: Karen Fuller

  Editor: Maxine Bringenbirg

  Chapter 1

  Cole had an idea of why he was sent on this trip. It was two women, and he was going to figure out which one was his mate. Or whether or not either one of them was. He wasn’t making any predictions on this. If one of them were, then that would be all right with him. Either way, really, Cole didn’t care.

  Well, he did care, he supposed. Having a mate like the others would be a good thing. Not so much for him, but for whoever she was. The others would eat her alive if she was faint of heart. Laughing to himself as the plane landed on the tarmac, he wondered if any woman would be considered faint of heart. They all, as far as he could see, were bears when it came to fighting for something they believed in.

  “Are you ready for this?” Noah had come along with him on this trip in the event they had any trouble. Cole was glad for the company but other than having witchy powers, he wasn’t sure what sort of trouble he could get into that his dragon couldn’t handle. “The faeries we brought with us are going to fix the back of the plane up for the one that is hurt.”

  “Ryan. Why do you suppose someone would call their daughter Ryan?” Noah told him what he knew. “So her name is Ryland. You do know that isn’t that much better for a girl’s name. Unless, of course, their father was named that.”

  “To be honest, I don’t think anyone mentioned their names. Their parents, I mean. They’re both gone, I guess. Killed in an automobile accident not long ago. I don’t know what they do for a living, but Bryce told me that they were having trouble that the kids were left to deal with. I’m to look into why they didn’t sue the drunk driver.” Cole knew that, as well. Hopefully, he’d be able to figure it out while they were here. He didn’t care for long plane rides when he could be flying as his dragon. “I just heard from Bryce. The brother is there with them. She said to bring him along too, but if we can help it, not to bring the wife. I guess she’s a nightmare.”

  “Of course she is.” They were told they could disembark now, and both of them got off the plane. “We’re ahead of schedule. Would you like to get something to eat first? I’m starving. I missed dinner last night.”

  “Yes, I could eat. However, you’re going to be the one to tell Kelly that we’ve not checked on her friends yet. When we boarded last night, she was telling me that they’ve had a really rough time of life. They not only lost their parents in an accident that took both their lives, but I guess some bills were left unpaid by them.” Cole asked him if he thought they would win a suit against the driver. “I’d say that is a good possibility. I do know that the hospital bill for Ryan is being paid by the city.”

  Cole decided he’d grab something to eat at the airport. There were all kinds of places to eat, so he just got something from each of them that were open this time of the morning. He was munching down on the last breakfast sandwich when they pulled up in front of the hospital. Noah handed him a mint as they were let out of the limo.

  “What are the chances, do you suppose, that this is going to go as easily as we hope?” Cole told Noah he didn’t think it was going to go easily at all. “Yes, me either. There is just too much to go wrong. I mean, from what Bryce told me, Ryan’s leg is not just broken but has some pretty deep bruising too. And some all over her body. The police that were at the bank just stood there and watched while he used a bat on her. Good thing he’s dead. I think Kelly would have come here to end his breathing capabilities.”

  The hospital was busy, and Cole tried his best not to make eye contact with anyone. He didn’t know why he did that when there were crowds of people around. He’d been doing it for so long now that he didn’t even think about it much. Hearing someone screaming startled his dragon, but they made it to the elevator without anyone noticing them.

  The floor the women were on was also busy, mostly with staff. Cole noticed that one of the rooms was being guarded, and he figured that was where they were. Instead of having to show them their identification, or anything for that matter, Noah told them they needed to take a break, and both of them left the door. That, Cole thought, was a very handy trick of magic.

  Entering the room after a short knock, they found two people in the room with a doctor. The woman was sobbing. The man, easily related to the crying woman, was holding her hand. The doctor looked at them when he cleared his throat.

  “I’m sorry. This is a private room.” Noah told him to go on speaking. The doctor looked confused for a second but then turned back to the two people. “As I was saying, Rylie, there was more damage done to your sister’s leg than we first thought. The bruising is going to take time to heal, but we’re going to have to go in and put braces around her fibula bone to ensure that it’s strong enough to even hold her weight. Then there is—”

  “Stop.” The three people in the room just froze. Noah looked at Cole. “I can heal the woman if she’s not your mate. However, if they do it, there won’t be any healing her. With the metal in her body, she’ll have trouble for the rest of her life. Can you see if this sister is your mate? That way, we can go and find Ryan and see what we can do to help her along.”

  “You mean I’m going to go down the hall or wherever and sniff out the women on this floor to see if anyone fits the bill to be my mate. That’s ludicrous—you know that, don’t you? There isn’t any way that is going to work.”

  “Just sniff her so we can get on with what we came here for.”

  Cole walked over to the woman and leaned his head into her throat. He had a good mind to tell Noah he didn’t smell anything, but he stood up. Then he sniffed the man.

  “What is it? The guy? He’s your mate?”

  “No.” He leaned into both their throats again. “This one is very sick. I’d say she knows it too. Cancer, if I don’t miss my bet. The man here, I’m assuming he’s the brother, is also in pain. However, it’s not an illness with him, but he’s been hurt badly. To be honest with you, Noah, that’s all I can smell on either of them. Their pain.”

  “We need to find the sister. I don’t know anything more than that we’re supposed to bring them back with us. Kelly said to bring them all back healthy if we could. The only way to achieve that is to heal all three of them. Tell me what you know about Dillon.” Cole moved his hand along his ribs and then the rest of his body. He looked at Noah. “Well? Is it bad?”

  “Yes. Can I not tell you right now?” He asked him if he would heal. “Yes and no. I can heal him, but he’s not going to be able to father children. Not after what was done to him.”

  “A doctor?” Cole only shook his head. “Christ. Don’t do anything for him right now. Perhaps someone has an idea about
what we can do for this guy. Wait. You go and find the sister. I’m assuming she’s being prepped for surgery again. Try that. I’ll take care of the sister here.”

  “All right.” He started for the door, his heart breaking for this family. Even if he wasn’t going to be mated into the family, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they were healed, happy, and healthy. “I’m thinking that once she’s healed, we can get out of here. Also, be on the look out for a woman named Sandra. Don’t let her anywhere near any of them if she shows up.”

  Walking down the hall, he found that he was on the wrong floor for the surgery ward. Taking the stairs up, hating elevators more than ever today, he was on the right floor when he realized he hadn’t thought about guards being up here. Telling Noah that he might be in trouble here, the two men there just simply walked away. He went into the room when he heard someone talking loudly.

  “What the fuck do you mean, it’s going to be a lot longer than you first told me about being under? Do you have any idea how that makes a person feel to wake up feeling like they’ve been on a fifty day drunk? Why can’t you just, I don’t know, numb it and do it that way?” The man standing by the gurney just sputtered about pain and manageability. “You took my gun away from me, or so help me, I’d show you what pain is like. Where is the fucking doctor?”

  “Perhaps I can help you.” Everyone in the room turned and looked at him. “I was sent here by her doctor to tell you that the surgery wasn’t necessary.”

  “Who the fuck are you?” She could only be the sister to the two downstairs. Identical twins always gave him the willies. Cole didn’t know why—they were just people—but this woman and the one downstairs were a perfect match. “Are you deaf? Who the hell sent you in here? They’re supposed to be prepping me for the big cut up. They’re going to slice open my leg from thigh to toes. Do you believe that shit?”

  “I can make it so that is not necessary.” He moved closer to the bed she was on. Looking around, he noticed that the two nurses were leaving, but the man, he thought he might be the anesthesiologist, was still standing there. “I was sent here by Kelly. My friend, Noah, he’s downstairs with your sister and brother. Did you know they were both hurting?”

  “What did you do to them?” He just stared at her. “Look, buddy. I don’t fucking want to be here. I have shit going on that you’d not believe. My parents just died, I had to fucking kill a man yesterday, and now they’re telling me I may not be able to walk without the assistance of a walker. That fucking sucks if you ask me.”

  “It does. But I’m afraid it’s much worse than even they know. I can see your wounds, you see. They’re going to cut you open, then they’re going to see that not only is your fibula broken in two, but it’s cracked in several places. Enough so that you’ll need to have the bone replaced by metal rods. That I can’t fix. I can fix broken, even shattered, but I can’t put things back after they’ve been removed.”

  Ryan stared at him. She didn’t ask him questions, like how did he know, or how could he see her wounds. Nor did she ask him how he could fix her. Instead, he watched her as she stared around the room and then at her leg. Cole didn’t move closer. He waited for her to come to terms with whatever she was thinking.

  “You said my sister and brother are in pain. Can you fix that as well?” He told her that Noah, his friend, was doing that now. “Dillon was telling us before I was brought here that he is getting a divorce. Is it Sandra that hurt him?”

  “Yes. I can tell you how if you wish.” She said, not just yet. “All right. Your sister is a little more tricky. She has cancer on the brain, as well as in her bloodstream. I don’t believe she had much more than a few weeks, less than a month to live. I’m sorry about that. But as I said, Noah is fixing her.”

  “Thank you.” She looked at him. “There are about fifty things going on in my mind at the moment. Nothing that I can say out loud without going into hysterics. And while you don’t know me at all, I can assure you that it’s not something I want to happen to me. I hate drama too.”

  “Good to know. I would very much like to heal you, Ryan. Also, before I get too close to you, I would also like to rule out whether or not you’re my mate.” She asked him what that would entail. “Just a smell of your neck. I might not be able to. I couldn’t smell anything on your sister but her cancer. She smells of chemicals as well. If you are my mate or your sister is, there will be perks that all three of you will get. Immortality, for one thing. Never getting sick or hurt either.”

  “Are you setting me up for something scary? I don’t scare easily. Rarely, as a matter of fact. I, for now at least, don’t want to know what you are. I have a feeling you’re not the run of the mill shifter.” He told her he wasn’t. “So, how does it work with you healing me? I’m assuming that either way, mate or not, you have plans to make it so that I won’t have to walk with a cane for the rest of my life?”

  “No. You won’t. What it entails is that I give you a few drops of my blood. It won’t hurt you—it will enhance you. However, I have no idea in what way. You see, there are six of us, all with mates except me. When they found their mates, things were shared with all of them.” She asked if Kelly was enhanced. “She is. Very much so.”

  Ryan laid back and stared at him. He didn’t squirm. There was a lot going on, and he was sure she had questions. But instead of voicing them, she told him something he’d bet few knew about her.

  “I’m afraid. Not just of you. However, I am enough to wonder what I might be getting myself into, also of what will happen if I allow you to heal me. There will be a connection, even should we not be mates. Correct?” He nodded. “I thought so. I want to be able to walk, so please, do what you have to do to heal me. However, don’t tell me yet if you’re my mate or not. I’m sure you’ll know, right?”

  “Yes. As soon as I touch you.” He didn’t move forward. He was waiting for her to tell him it would be all right. While he was waiting, he heard from Noah.

  We’re all finished down here. Dillon is...the poor guy. Anyway, now that they’re both up and about, they’re packing up Ryan’s things. Also, I need to make sure you know this—Sandra is in jail right now. I think we should be long gone before she’s released. Is she your mate? He told him she was working up to allowing him to heal her. Yes. Rylie said she never jumps in with both feet. I’ve told her nothing other than that she’s healed. Also, I made sure she knows to talk to Ryan.

  I’ve told her they’re both ill and that her sister has cancer. Noah thanked him. I’m waiting for her to decide what she wants to do. I’m not rushing her. However, just so you know, I don’t think I could even if I wanted. What about paperwork and such? Is that taken care of too?

  Since it was in the paper, I’m only saying that Ryan has been released. There won’t be any way to trace her once she leaves with us. Cole told Ryan what he and Noah were talking about. I’m calling for a ride to the airport. If you could at least get on with something there, we can be on our way.

  “If you could heal me, then I’m ready. As I said, don’t tell me the mate thing just yet. I need to think.” After taking the final steps toward her, Cole let his finger morph into a sharp claw and cut into his finger. “I’m thankful for you taking your time with me, but don’t get used to it. I’m not easy.”

  “I never thought you would be.”

  As soon as Ryan opened her mouth, he let several drops touch her tongue. He could tell it was working as soon as she moaned. Stepping back from her, he watched it go through her system. In minutes, they were both on their way to the elevator that would take them to the lower floors and to the car. Cole didn’t bother with sniffing her. He knew all he needed to know as soon as he helped her from the bed.

  ~*~

  Rylie hadn’t ever flown before. However, she had a feeling that flying in this plane was nothing like anything she’d ever fly in going commercial. The luxury in this sucker was
nicer than any home she’d ever been in. Glancing at her brother, she wondered what he was thinking right now.

  “You should know that I can feel your questions without you voicing them. Let it go, Rylie. I don’t want to talk about it right now.” She asked him if he’d ever be able to talk about it. “I don’t know. I’m no longer hurting, and there isn’t any reason for you to question me about it. Besides, having you know that I was hurt is bad enough.”

  “Can you at least tell me if Sandra is going to follow us?” He said not if he could help it. “Are you really going to divorce her?”

  “I’ve already started the process.” Dillon looked over at her. “I don’t want to hear you say you told me so either.”

  “I’ll fucking say it.” They both looked at Ryan, who was sitting in the recliner with her leg up and resting. “I told you not to marry her. She’s a fucking cunt. What was the straw that broke your back, Dillion? I think we should at least be privy to that much.”

  “If I tell you, will you fucking leave it alone?” Dillon rarely cursed. So when he did, it was funny to her. “I’m serious when I tell you that you’re driving me crazy right now.”

  “I’ll try to leave it alone, Dillon. But you should cut us some slack. If we didn’t care, you’d be pissed about that as well.” He said they never gave him a chance at that. “Fuck off. Tell us.”

  “This was just the start of things falling apart. Well, not the start, but what got me thinking I’m finished with her. When we got back home after the funeral, I was unpacking some of my things. I knew I was going to have to go back to help clear out our parents’ home, so I left the things in there that I didn’t need right away. But I found so much more.” Dillon bowed his head as if he were ashamed of something. “She’d been taking things from Mom and Dad’s home and putting them in our luggage. The framed picture that you couldn’t find of their wedding day? It was there too. Along with all the silverware that we couldn’t find, and some of Mom’s jewelry.”