Chapter Twelve
Malcolm quickly searched for Aldain. He was close to the platform, talking to Stavros. He asked both men to meet him outside as he had something important to tell them. He didn’t want to say anything inside the hall because he feared the enhanced hearing of the dragon shifters.
Aldain raised his eyebrows at the unusual request but he didn’t question him. He trusted Malcolm, and if he had something to tell them then he would go outside as he requested. The men headed outside the building.
Malcolm quickly explained the situation. “I saw every Cailleach from every clan dressed with hoods over their faces at the back of the building by the changing room. It seems our ruse has worked. We need a detail of fighting men around them. We know how dangerous they are, and we know they mean harm to Carrie.”
Aldain quietly walked around the hall, picking his strongest fighting men and telling them to meet him outside. He told them not to tell anyone of his request, as it was a matter of security. It took only a few minutes for them to gather outside. Aldain had thirty men waiting for him.
“Men, we have a major problem. There is as group of Cailleaches in the back of the building.” The men gasped in unison when they heard this. “I’m sure they’re here to hurt Carrie. Our own Cailleach tried to kill her. She turned into a giant snake and tried to bite her. Her bite is extremely poisonous. Malcolm was bitten when he tried to protect her, in dragon form. The poison almost killed him. If Carrie hadn’t healed him, he would be dead. The heads seem to be able to continue to live without being attached to their bodies. I know this because when I decapitated her, the head continued to try inflicting bites. I had to burn it to stop it. I’m going to put you in strategic places throughout the building. At the first sign of trouble, you are to shift at once and get everyone away but keep the Cailleaches in. You’ll be warned something is going to happen when you hear a screeching sound. That’s the sound the Cailleach made as she was changing. Don’t bother trying to kill them any other way than with fire. Do it swiftly, for they are fast. Make sure you don’t get bitten. Does anyone have any questions?”
The men stood trying to process everything their clan chief had just told them. No one had any questions. They understood exactly what Aldain needed of them.
Aldain and Malcolm decided where the best places to station the men were. Aldain took half and Malcolm took the other half. They wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. When they walked into the building, Aldain went in one direction as Malcolm went the opposite way. The group of men appeared to be talking and laughing. Aldain stopped at various places, leaving one of his men at each position, and then moving on with the rest. No one noticed that he was slowly dispersing his men throughout the hall. Malcolm did the same.
Once the men were strategically placed, Malcolm, Aldain, Stavros, and William all stood as close to the platform as they could. The torches were put out, as well as most of the candles. The only ones that stayed lit were the ones on the platform and on the podium Dimitra was standing on. The crowd hushed as all eyes looked toward the blindfolded Carrie.
Dimitra opened the tome to read the words that she put together for the ceremony. As she started to read the words, a slight breeze blew through the hall. Dimitra knew this was going to happen. She had warned Carrie that she was going to incant some witch spells to make things look realistic. Some people started to murmur. There were no open doors or windows, so there was no explanation for the breeze. It must be magic.
The more words Dimitra read, the stronger the breeze became. When she was finished, everyone waited. At first, nothing seemed to be happening. Then the breeze turned into a strong wind. It lasted only a moment, and when it stopped, an orb of light appeared out of nowhere.
Tori gasped. She remembered that orb of light from when she was in that place between life and death. It was Athena. The orb slowly glided in front of Carrie and stopped. It circled her body once as a woman’s disembodied voice said, “I accept you as a Chosen One” and promptly disappeared. The crowd roared in approval. The sound was almost deafening.
Carrie removed her blindfold as Malcolm hugged her tightly. It was over. She was safe.
Dimitra stood in shock. That ball of light wasn’t supposed to happen. She had no idea why it did, but she was sure the voice she heard belonged to the goddess Athena. Now there was another question needing answered.
As they started walking off the platform, they heard a screeching sound, low in tempo at first but getting louder all the time. The thirty men instantly shifted into dragons as they yelled for everyone to run. The dragon’s bodies were so huge they destroyed the hall.
As Dimitra swiftly took Carrie and Tori out of harm’s way, the Cailleaches changed into huge snakes, their fangs dripping with poison. As swift as they were in their snake forms, the dragons were ready for them.
Before they had a chance to strike, the Cailleaches were surrounded by thirty dragons. They encircled them so there was no way they could get to Carrie. As the snakes started to lunge at the dragons in unison, Aldain realized their circle was too tight and there were too many dragons. If they tried to incinerate the snakes, a clan member would end up with burns. Aldain kept five in a circle. He had the others spread out to help keep the other clan members safe and to keep any snakes from escaping.
One snake managed to get away unnoticed. It had noticed the dragon shifters getting into place before the ceremony and it had snuck away and hid before the shifters surrounded the rest of them.
While the shifters were busy taking care of the group of snakes that remained, the one was slowly able to work its way toward Carrie and Tori. They were close enough together that the snake could wrap itself around both women’s legs. Before they realized it, they were wrapped to their waists in a vice grip. Tori opened her mouth to scream but surprisingly the snake was able to telepathically communicate with her.
“I wouldn’t if I were you. My poison will kill both you and your unborn child.”
Tori was paralyzed with fear. She reached out to Aldain, letting him know her and Carrie were in trouble.
Aldain glanced over and saw what had happened. He had to find a way to get that snake off them or they would all be lost. He got Malcolm’s attention through telepathy. He told him to act like he wasn’t aware of what was happening so the snake wouldn’t know it had been seen. Every nerve in Malcolm’s body wanted to go to the rescue of his mate, and his dragon was demanding it. Malcolm had to make him understand that doing anything without having some kind of rescue plan in place would probably cause the death of his mate and Tori. He would have to calm down and think things through. That made his dragon calm down enough so his overwhelming rage tapered.
Aldain had a plan he hoped would work. Their mates’ lives depended on it. He relayed it to Malcolm. Both him and Malcolm shifted back to men.
Malcolm slowly walked toward the snake holding their mates’ hostage, his hands stretched out in front of him, open in the universal sign of peace.
“Please, let them go. I don’t understand why you feel Carrie must die. She hasn’t hurt anyone, and she is a good person. I am willing to take her place—just please let them go.”
Malcolm started walking closer to the snake. The snake noticed and coiled around the two women tighter as a warning, Malcolm could see the two women struggling for breath. He stopped where he was, knowing getting closer was putting both women at risk.
The snake loosened its grip as it replied, “I’m doing what I was commanded to do. The Chosen One must die.”
Sweat covered Malcolm’s face. Never in his life has he felt so helpless. There had to be something he could do. Even though he knew Aldain was implementing the plan they had to kill the snake, he wasn’t sure he would be on time.
Malcolm pressed on. “They are innocents. They have committed no crime.”
Half of the snake’s body was around the women, and the other half was loose so it could keep an eye on Malcolm, it’s eyes watching his every move. “I have been commanded by the highest god of gods, Zeus, that if the last Chosen One is found, she is to be killed. She has been found—she must die, and I must kill her. I exist for that very reason.”
As Malcolm opened his mouth to plead his case for not killing Carrie, Aldain came from behind the women. The snake didn’t notice as all her concentration was on Malcolm. When Aldain moved, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Aldain, moving faster than any human, had a sword in his hand, and in one swift stroke, he cleaved the snake in half. As the upper half of the snake fell to the ground, he grabbed both women and pulled them out of harm’s way. He then shifted, and as the upper part of the snake turned to strike at Carrie, he blew fire on it. They watched it burn, hearing its shrieks in its final death throes, joining the other snakes in a fiery death.
Malcolm rushed to Carrie’s side, pulling her shaking body close to his. His knees gave out on him as he fell to the ground, taking her with him, his body shaking as bad as hers. Malcolm held her head close to his racing heart.
“I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so sorry she was able to get you. Please forgive me. I failed you.” There were tears running down his cheeks. He came so close to losing her the pain of it tore through his body deep into his soul. He realized death would be preferable than living without her.
It took Carrie a few minutes to quit shaking and gather her thoughts. She realized Malcolm was talking to her. When she looked into his face, she realized he was crying. Her heart swelled with love for him. She also felt the emotional pain he was experiencing. It overwhelmed her, and she had never felt anything like it.
To calm him down, Carrie put her hands on his face and kissed him deeply. She looked into his pain-filled eyes. “It is going to be fine, my love. Please don’t cry anymore. I’m safe in your arms. You didn’t let me down. You helped save me by keeping the snake occupied so Aldain could kill it. Your plan worked. You’re my knight in shining armor—a true Dragon of Paragon. You’ve done them all proud. I’m safe in your arms where I belong. You executed the plan perfectly—you and Aldain. We’re safe and unharmed, and neither of you could have done better. I’ve never been prouder or loved you more than I do at this moment.” As she finished talking to him, she sent waves of love to him, hoping it would help lessen the pain he was feeling thinking of her loss. She noticed a perceptible lessening of tension in him. It was working.
Malcolm’s racing heart slowed and the intense emotional pain subsided. He continued to hold her close, not willing to have her leave his arms just yet.
The two things the group discussed were the deaths of the Cailleaches and Carrie, the supposedly new Chosen One. As they all walked into the living room and sat down, each man placed his mate on his lap. They needed to feel them close to them. It comforted them and helped calm their dragons. The unfortunate thing was no Cailleaches survived to reveal any answers. Dimitra also told them the ball of light that appeared wasn’t supposed to happen. She had no idea of the significance of it. This left everyone wondering why Athena showed up at a fake ceremony. It had everyone on edge. So far, Carrie felt fine and didn’t seem to be suffering any side effects.
They spent a few more minutes discussing what happened, but the activities of the day had them worn out. They decided to call it a night and discuss it more in the morning. When Malcolm and Carrie got to their room, she threw herself on the bed; she was too tired to change. She just wanted to snuggle up to Malcolm and sleep. Malcolm took off his shoes and climbed into bed, gathering Carrie in his arms and spooning his body next to hers.
“Do you feel any different since the ceremony, baby? Have you noticed any difference in your abilities?”
Carrie was half asleep when she answered him. “I don’t. The only thing I felt as the orb of light was going around my body was a tingling sensation. Everything else feels normal.” Those were the last words she muttered as she fell into an exhausted sleep.
Several weeks had gone by since the ceremony. Life seemed to be getting back to normal for everyone. Aldain and Tori were still on the island. Stavros and Dimitra had left the day after the ceremony. Dimitra had wanted to see if she could find an answer why Athena would show up at a fake ceremony. She kept in close contact with Aldain, but she still hadn’t found an answer to that question. She promised him she would keep looking.
Aldain got a cleaning crew together to clean up what was left of the huge building the ceremony had taken place in. He contemplated having it rebuilt but decided against it. There weren’t that many people on the entire island, so they didn’t need a building of that size, not to mention the bad memories it held. Carrie and Tori spent their days together on the island. Some days they shopped, and on others they packed lunches and went to a seaside park to watch the dolphins and whales swim. The antics of the dolphins made them laugh. They certainly seemed to have personalities of their own.
One night, as Aldain and Malcolm were watching what they termed a “chick flick” to keep their mates happy, Carrie looked at Tori and said, “Excuse me, what did you say? I missed it.”
Tori looked at Carrie like she had grown a second head. “I didn’t say anything, honey. Are you sure it wasn’t the television?”
Carrie stood up and walked over to Tori. “I’m positive I heard you say something. Did you nod off for a minute and maybe talk in your sleep? I know it came from you.”
Tori sat up straighter and said, “I promise I didn’t say anything!”
Malcolm and Aldain remained silent. They were curious to see where this was going.
Carrie walked and knelt in front of Tori with a confused look on her face. She closed her eyes as she put her hands on Tori’s shoulders, a look of intense concentration on her face. Carrie let out a gasp as she jerked her hands off Tori, her face pale.
“Oh, my God! I know why you’re so tired all the time!”
Tori and Aldain both stood at the same time as Tori put her hands-on Carrie’s shoulders. “Do I have some kind of illness? Is it fatal? Tell me for Pete’s sake! Don’t just stand there with that look on your face. Tell me!”
Carrie’s expression turned to one of awe. “The voice didn’t come from you, Tori. It came from your baby. It was talking to me, and I heard it.” Tori and Aldain both looked thunderstruck.
Tori was the first one to be able to speak. “Are you telling me that I’m pregnant and you can hear my baby talk to you?”
Carrie smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. That’s why you are always so tired. You’re pregnant. I can’t believe you didn’t figure it out for yourself. Congratulations! I’m so happy for you both!”
Tori’s reaction was to sit down hard on the couch. Aldain stood with his jaw dropped. He closed his mouth and sat next to his mate.
Malcolm sat back enjoying the show. He wasn’t going to say a word. He didn’t want to spoil the moment.
Aldain looked at Tori. “Is it true? Could you be pregnant?”
Tori did some quick math in her head. “Yes, she’s right. I’m extremely late, but with everything happening, I haven’t been paying attention. If I am, I would be close to four months along. I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out on my own. We’re going to have a baby, Aldain!”
Aldain got a look of awe on his face as he placed his hand over her slightly rounded belly. He brought his face close to her stomach as he whispered into it, “Welcome to the family little one. I can’t wait to welcome you. You’re well-loved and very wanted.”
Tori felt a surge of love and wellbeing course through her body. She realized they weren’t her feelings but her child’s. Aldain could feel it too.
Carrie piped up. “She says she loves you both very much and is impatient to meet you.”
Aldain and Tori looked at Carrie and at the same time said, “She?”
Carrie smiled, “Yes, you are having a little girl, and she thinks the sweetest thoughts.”
Aldain asked, “Is she actually talking to you like we do?”
Carrie shook her head. “No, I can hear her thoughts. Right now she is thinking how glad she is to know you know of her as she’s falling asleep.”
Tori felt an overwhelming sense of tiredness sweeping over her. She grabbed Aldain’s hand as they excused themselves. She wanted to take him upstairs with her. As tired as she was, there were things they needed to talk about.
Malcolm stood and shook Aldain’s hand. “Congratulations, my friend. I’m happy for you both. We’ll see you later. Carrie and I are going to visit my parents. They invited us over for dinner.”
They left as Aldain and Tori headed up the stairs.
Tori lay on the bed and crooked her finger at Aldain. He lay next to her as he ran his hand over her stomach. He kissed it then kissed her, the soon-to-be mother of his child. He didn’t think he could feel any happier than he did at this moment.
Tori put her hand over Aldain’s. “I want to have the baby here Aldain. I want her to be born where your people are. You’re their clan chief. Your children need to be born here. I don’t want to separate who they are and what they stand for hundreds of miles away in a huge castle. I want them born here among the people who love you.”
Tori’s statement brought a lump to his throat. He thanked the gods for her. “Of course, she can be born here. I’ll let the council know where they can get in touch with me if something comes up. Until we go back to the castle, I will let them know I’m taking a lengthy vacation.”
Aldain got up from the bed, telling Tori he was going to take a bath. The reality was he didn’t want her to see the tears in his eyes. He was so overcome with emotion, and he didn’t want her to see how much her love for him could move him. He had to try to keep a semblance of being an alpha male intact. He finally understood how some women cried from happiness.
Tori and Carrie spent the next several days shopping for the nursery. Tori was in her element, but instead of buying clothes for herself, she was buying them for their baby. Aldain was positive she bought one of every outfit from every baby shop on the island. Every day they would come home with the van filled with baby clothes, baby furniture, and every kind of gadget made for babies. She stocked the extra pantries with various kinds of baby food: cereal, vegetables, and fruit for newborns to babies several months old. She bought the best furniture for the nursery. The mobile cost so much that when Tori wasn’t looking Aldain checked to see if there was gold on the decorations.
Tori’s stomach was getting to the point she couldn’t see her feet. Aldain had to help her put on her shoes and help her out of the tub when she took her baths. She took at least two baths a day. She loved to soak in a tub full of scented water. She’d always talk to her baby or sing while soaking. Sometimes she would fall asleep, and Aldain would find her with her hand over her stomach sleeping in lukewarm water. He’d gently lift her up and put her on the bed. He’d cover her up to make sure she stayed warm. Sometimes he would pull up a chair and watch her sleep. She had a glow about her he never got tired of seeing.