Lewis: The McCade Dragon –Erotic Paranormal Romance Read online

  He pulled out his phone, a new device for himself, and showed her every picture he’d taken. Some of them were a little out of focus—he was still getting used to using it—but she enjoyed them, just as much as he did. And when she was tiring, just as he was, he told her again how much he loved her and was looking forward to seeing her again.

  “You must bring your wife the next time you come. I should so like to see her.” He told her that he would, but after his newest great grandchild was born. “Bring it as well. Just to let me gaze upon it and see if it looks like you do.”

  “It’s a boy. He is going to be a strong boy, and a full dragon too. That will make seven hundred of them now, just in my family alone.” He smiled when she clapped her hands. “Soon, Mother dear. Soon, we’ll all be together.”

  He left the cavern then, making his way into the darkening night. There wasn’t much for him to do now. All that could be done to keep them safe was finished. Just the one woman, a woman of great hope for them all, was to come yet. But there were other things, things to do with Vance, which would need to be started first. Laughing to himself, he thought of the two of them together. And knew for as long as he lived, that Vance would begin to hate him or love him because of her. She was going to be a trial to them all.

  The house was coming into view when he saw the man in the pasture. It wasn’t anything for them to have people going into the fields and taking a few pieces of fruit or something that was growing there. He watched him for several minutes as he filled a bag of oranges and apples. They didn’t normally grow around this area, but his lady wife liked them, so he’d put them in the ground. Just as he was to approach the man, to see if he needed anything else, he saw the two children.

  Caelin had a soft spot for children, and he hated to see them abused or hungry. Coming out of his hiding place, he reached out to the man, to see the sort of man he was, and found that he, like his children, was starving. The fruit would go a long way in filling his children’s bellies, but the man would not eat until they were full. It was a quality that gave him an instant liking of the man.

  “I meant no harm to you and yours, my lord.” Caelin nodded as the man dropped the fruit and had his children scatter. “I only wanted them to have a treat.”

  “Come to my home, sir, and enjoy a meal with us. Then when you have fed well, we’ll see about finding you a job and a place to live.” The man started crying, his body dropping to the ground with the fruit. The children came back to hold their upset father, and Caelin knelt to them. “Come on now. We’ll see about getting you a hot meal, some blankets and things. My wife, she is a good cook.”

  “You don’t know us. I could be a monster in sheep’s clothing. Why would you do such a thing?” Caelin led him to the house, warning his wife that they were to have company. “I would only see that the children are fed, sir. Thank you for that.”

  “You’ll all eat and stay the night. I insist.” He picked up the fruit. “Maybe my wife can make us a fine dessert with this. And the rest, you can take to your home.”

  He fixed them a place to live. Found Wendel a job and someone to help him in his home. The children were too thin, but with his help and that of his family, that would soon be taken care of as well. Caelin was sitting to his own supper when his wife kissed him on the back of the head, telling him that she loved him.

  “And I love you as well, my heart.” He finished his meal and sat with her while she knitted. They were content, for now, and he could not be happier.

  Chapter 10

  Lewis stood very still. He could feel something in the area, but had no idea what it might be. And when Poe landed on his shoulder, he knew that the raven had felt it as well. Asking him what it was in a whisper, the raven squawked once and nodded in the general direction of the cave before them.

  “’Tis a dragon, my lord. One that you were told about.” He asked if he was all right. “Nay, I think him to be exhausted, but he needs only to rest for a bit, then he’ll make himself known to you and Raven.”

  “Can I take him anything? Water? Food? I don’t know what he might eat, but I’d gladly take it to him.” Poe told him that the cave had a spring in it, and it was full of fish. The earth had given the dragon all that she had. “Okay, that’s good. Is he a big dragon?”

  “Yes. About as big as your truck.” That wasn’t as large as he’d thought, but it would be hard to hide him should someone come around. “He’s magical, my lord, as all dragons are. His name is Darmor, and he is quite old.”

  “But you are sure that he’s all right? The reason I ask is, I feel something off. Not right.” Poe didn’t understand. “When the shifter came to me, I could smell it. Evilness. I smell it again. Close to where we are.”

  “Then perhaps we should check on him. I don’t want him to be harmed after coming this far to be with you.” Lewis didn’t either, but he didn’t know how much help he’d be to a large-as-his-truck dragon that was tired. “Shall we go?”

  The cave was warmer than he’d thought it would be. Also, it was dry. He wondered aloud about that, and was told by Poe that it was the dragon, warming it up where he was, and it dried the air. Which, he supposed, made sense. But the deeper they went into the cave, the heat of it was almost too much. About a mile into the cave, Lewis smelled it again.

  “Here. Whatever is around, it’s here. Where is the dragon now?” Poe moved off his shoulder and down the dark cave. When he returned, he looked concerned. “What is it?”

  “Someone has put a spell on him.” Again, Lewis hadn’t any idea what that might mean, but he hurried after the bird when he went back down the cave. “I have called to Raven. She is coming by her magic. Also, Lord Kenton is coming. I know not if he can help, but perhaps he can tell us what we can do for the dragon.”

  The dragon was indeed large, and he was sick. As Darmor was sick again, he stood back. The poor animal was just lying down again when Kenton and Raven showed up. Kenton didn’t look happy either.

  “Remind me never to come by way of magic with your wife again.” He asked him what had happened, and Raven called him a baby. “She is blind, and the fact that she told me she hoped that we’d not end up in a rock was not funny.”

  Lewis was still laughing when the dragon looked at him. Putting his hand on his head, he told him that he was there for him. That was when his touch brought who had done this to his mind.

  “Butler did this.” The dragon nodded as the scene was played out for him. “He thought to kill him, and use his magic. Had I not been out looking for those herbs you sent me for, Raven, he would have finished his task. He has only just left here.”

  “The poison can be worked out of his system, but he will need something to make him sicker.” Kenton asked if human things would work. “I think so. For him being as large as he is, he still has a stomach, but we will need a great deal more than for a human.”

  They worked for twenty minutes on making a batch of medicine to make the dragon throw up more. The magic that had been used on Darmor was man made, something that had been fed to him. Darmor didn’t have any trouble swallowing the brew down, and nearly as soon as it hit his belly, it came up with a gush.

  Several times over the next hour Darmor was fed the brew, only to have it come right back up. It seemed to be working too. He looked better, and he was no longer as hot as he’d been. Lewis thought a dragon should be hot, but not this one. He was an earth dragon, one that didn’t spew forth fire, but helped the earth with warming the ground as well as keeping the trees and animals in the forest safe.

  “You’re looking much better.” Darmor nodded and sat up, leaning against the wall of the cave. “We’ll need to get you moved when you think you can. If he found you here, he’ll return to finish the job.”

  “You have a barn for me?” Lewis assured him that he did. “I will stay there. Magic there will keep him from finding me again. You are a kind man, Lord Lewis. I cannot thank you enough for coming to my aid.”

  “You’re very we
lcome. I’ve only just gotten my own dragon now, and I’d hate to think of someone trying to hurt me or one of my brothers when we’re in that form.” Darmor nodded and stood up. When he spread out his wings, Lewis realized what a magnificent creature he really was. “There are others coming. Will they be a grand as you?”

  “Yes. Some more, some less, but I will be the biggest.” Lewis was actually sort of relieved about that. To hide one dragon this size was going to be tough. Several of them might be impossible.

  When Poe led Darmor to their home, Lewis helped Raven gather up the scales that had been left behind. Careful not to break or chip them, he asked her why she didn’t handle them on her own. She had him picking them up with a cloth around his hand.

  “They’re magical. And not only that, but if a female of breeding age touches one, then she will conceive the next time she has sex. It wouldn’t matter, either, if they were mates or not. A child would be born.” He asked if she was kidding. “No. Women for centuries would go to a witch that they knew was friends with a dragon. All manner of women, from rich to poor. The coin that would be paid for such a thing was great, too. I don’t know that many women use the method now, but back in my day, it was very well known.”

  “And you’re not touching them because you don’t want to have a child?” Raven told him that they’d never talked about it. “I see. I guess we’ve been a little busy. Would you like to have a child? With me?”

  Kenton cleared his throat, and they both turned to him. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’d not tell Mom about this magic. She’ll be cutting it up on every drink or food that any of you ladies partake in. She’ll have grandchildren popping out every nine months for sure.” They all laughed. “All right, I’ve contacted Emma, and she’s coming for me in the car. I’m to meet her outside. You guys need to talk anyway.”

  When they were alone, he asked her again about the baby. “I don’t want you to make this decision because it will make my mom happy. But I would like to know what your feelings are about them.” She nodded, but still didn’t touch the scale. “Raven, if you’d rather not have a child, that’s fine too. It’s your body, and I’d never force you to do anything that you’d not be one hundred percent on board with.”

  “I don’t know that I’d like a child right now.” He nodded. “With my lack of sight and the fact that I’d be handicapped in keeping them safe if Butler came for them, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them. Or to you. But a child, it would be something that he’d take, and I’d do anything for him to get it back. Not that I’d trust him again, but I’d not hesitate to try.”

  “I understand that. I really do.” He picked up two more pieces of the precious magic and put them into the bag she always wore. “I think I’d like one of those bags. I can’t imagine what you have in that thing, but it seems to be able to hold a great deal.”

  “You’ve changed the subject. Does that mean that you’re upset with me or willing to wait?” He pulled her into his arms after putting the last of the scales into the bag. “Lewis, I’d never be able to live with myself if our child got hurt.”

  “I know that. God, I know that. And you are perfectly right…he’d take our child, and any one of us would do just what he said to get it back. I promise you, I’m not upset at all at your decision. I think it’s a good solid reason for waiting.” She asked him if he was sure. “I’ve never been as sure about something as I am of this. But someday, and I’m hoping that it will be sooner rather than later, I hope we do have many children together. And that they have children too. And so on and so on.”

  They held hands on their way back to the house. He also managed to find the herbs that she wanted. Well, she found them, and he pulled them for her. There was so much in the forest that could be used for so many things, and he loved every minute that he got to spend with Raven finding them.

  Going to work later that night, he was getting the meal prepped when his assistant Patty came to talk to him. She had been promoted last night after all the dinners had been served and the place cleaned up. She had been right. There hadn’t been a single complaint, nor had anyone gotten upset at the wait they sometimes had.

  “We are booked for tonight as well.” Lewis wasn’t going to freak out again, he told himself. “But I do have a request from someone. They want to know if you could cater a wedding.”

  “I don’t know; can we?” Patty grinned. “I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but that grin of yours, it’s not terribly comforting right now.”

  “Dinner for two hundred guests. No serving, but a buffet line. I’ve already looked into a couple of places we can get hot services, as well as larger trays. My husband, he’s a bartender for one of the bars in the next town over, and he said he’d help us out with it.” Lewis just listened to her, knowing that she would have all the details worked out before coming to him. “Flowers are going to be done by the bride’s parents. Liquor is also going to be paid for by them. The venue is going to be the large building on Tenth, the one that looks like a big barn.”

  “It was a dance hall at one time, I think.” She said that it was. “And they’re okay with using a barn for this thing? You know, I think I might own that building too.”

  “You do. And once it gets out that you have a large venue for things like weddings and graduation parties, you’ll have to hire more crew to run that part, and another assistant.” He told her that would be her department. “You mean hiring someone?”

  “No, the barn. You take it over and tell me what you need to make it work. You have a good head on your shoulders.” She stared at him for several seconds, and Lewis closed her mouth for her. “Congratulations, you’re a party planner.”

  “Seriously? You want me to run that and here too?” He told her if she thought she could handle both, then yes. But if not, to hire her a staff. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  “No. I don’t joke about my job.” She laughed, then did a little dance around the room. He knew that she’d make it work. Patty was very good at organizing and putting all her ducks in a row. “Also, if you think you can work with him full time, I want you to hire your husband for me. I need a good bartender here, and he can work the barn with you when you need him.”

  “How much can I pay him? I mean, he’d have to make at least what he’s making now, or we couldn’t afford it.” Lewis told her to double his salary and hers. “Lewis, that’s a lot of money. You’re already paying me more than I thought I’d be making as a hostess.”

  “I know what your worth is, and so should you.” He thought about how much more she’d be working, as would he. “You’ll need a staff that is all your own. And I’ll need more workers here. A chef, too, that can take over should I need the time off. And we’ll need to...you know what? Come to my house for dinner tomorrow night and we’ll work out the details. But as of right now, you’re making more money, and bring your husband. We’ll get this worked out.”

  Patty was dancing around the room again when the first order came in. She’d been training someone to help her at the hostess station since last night, so that was going to have to double up as well. Christ, he’d just taken on more work than he’d thought possible, and was happy for it.

  By the time dinner was over for them, he’d made a list of things that he wanted to figure out. The kind of food that would be served at the barn. A name for it as well. Then there was the liquor license he was going to need to extend, and a few hundred other things that he was sure he was missing. He was just cleaning up the grill when he thought of a name for the place. The next time Patty came back to tell him something, he put it to her.

  “How about we call it Caelin’s Dream?” She asked him why that name. “It’s the name of a friend of mine, and it means powerful warrior. What do you think?”

  “I love it. Dragons are powerful, so I can understand the connection to the two. Dragons Lair and Caelin’s Dream. I think it’s perfect.” He did as well, and told her that they would
need a logo. “Yes, a dragon for sure. To keep up with the theme of this place.”

  By the time Lewis was home again, it was nearly midnight. He might have been home sooner, but he was talking to Patty and forgot the time. But as soon as he was in his bedroom, trying his best to be quiet, Raven tossed the blanket off herself, and he nearly fell getting out of his pants.

  “Come here, big boy, and show me a good time.” He laughed when she did, and joined her. “I love you, Lewis. So very much.”

  ~~~

  Raven wanted to be sexy. She had no idea how to be anything but herself, but she was going to give it her best shot. The bed shifted when Lewis joined her, and reaching for him made her heart beat a little faster. When he took her into his arms, she felt his thick hard cock brush against her leg.

  “This is what a man likes to come to bed to…a warm, beautiful woman that’s all his.” Rolling him to his back, she sat over him. His cock was between her thighs, so she reached down and curled her fingers around him. “Baby, if you keep that up, I’m not going to last very long.”

  “Honestly, I don’t care how long you last. I need this.” He helped her settle over him, but didn’t touch her. “Lewis, if I come like this, will you come with me? Later, I mean?”

  “Yes, anything you want. You do what you need, and I’ll watch. I love watching you come all over me. And the way that your nipples tighten just perfectly for me.” He touched his mouth to one. Moaning at the feel of his mouth so close made her pussy swell too. “I can smell you, Raven. You’re so hot and wet for me.”

  His fingers brushed over her clit, and she cried out with a short release. Begging him to do it again, Raven came twice more when he touched her gently. But it wasn’t enough. And when she tried to get him to help her, he told her that he didn’t want to take over.

  “If you don’t take me, I’m going to put a spell on your dick and make it hard all the time. How will you explain that to your mom?” She was suddenly on her back and him over her. His cock didn’t just fill her, but seemed a very hard part of her. “Take me. Please. I need to come in the worst kind of way.”