Epilogue

“More dragons,” Charlie said, pointing at the night sky where the two dragons above their heads were framed in silhouettes against the starry sky. They were standing on the mountainside, around a half a mile away from the cabin.

“I see them,” Poppy said, her face tilted up to the sky to watch the dragons navigate their way into the clearing where George, Poppy, and Charlie were waiting.

“That one is your grandpa, Charles.” George pointed to the biggest dragon, who was flapping his wings, while angling his body so that he landed smoothly.

“Same name as me,” Charlie said.

“Yes, Mommy named you after your grandpa.” George gave Poppy one of those smiles that made her knees go weak and her heart race. They had learned so much about each other over the last couple of weeks.

“It was pure coincidence.” Poppy was still not ready to admit that she had named her son after George’s father, after an obsessive internet search when she found out she was pregnant. She didn’t want to share all her secrets. Not yet.

“What’s a co in see dent? Charlie asked.

“Mommy’s version of teasing Daddy.” George pointed to the second dragon, letting the conversation go. “And that one, that is your grandma.”

“Are you sure I should be here?” Poppy asked nervously.

“Yes, you are part of this family. And anyway, it’s thanks to you that we have the Heartsfire Blade back.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“So your dad is not here to bite my head off?” Poppy asked. “And by that I mean literally bite my head off.”

George laughed. “No, he’s not.” He shifted Charlie around so the he could get a better view of the dragons as they landed and then shifted into their human form. “Anyway, giving them their first grandchild is much more important to them.”

The two people stood in the clearing, shadows in the darkness of the forest. Then they moved, one figure rushing forward, and Poppy gripped George’s arm, wanting them to run and hide, but she stood her ground.

“Oh my, is this my grandson?” a woman’s voice called.

“Hey, Mom,” George said, and held out Charlie for her to take. “This is your grandma, Charlie.”

“Hi, Grandma,” Charlie said shyly.

“Hello there, Charlie. A good strong name.”

Charlie went to her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you.”

“Mom, this is Poppy,” George said.

“George has been telling us all about you. Call me Eileen, or Mom. Whichever you feel most comfortable with. Although I do hope we will have a mother-daughter relationship. George tells me you lost your parents. And I have no daughters…”

“I’d like that, Mom,” Poppy said, and got a big bear hug in return.

“Dad.” George greeted a big, broad man. As he got closer, Poppy could see the strong resemblance between the two men.

“George.” Charles grasped his son’s arm and then hugged him. “It’s been too long.”

George took the Heartsfire Blade from the sheath he wore on his belt and handed it to his father. “Here.”

“Only five years late,” his father said, holding the blade up so that the moonlight glinted off its blade.

“That would be my fault,” Poppy admitted.

“Yes. Yes, it would,” the big man agreed, turning to look at Poppy.

“I’m sorry,” Poppy said weakly.

“Don’t be,” Eileen said kindly. “Things worked out in the end, and five years go by in a blink of an eye for a dragon.”

“Not when you are waiting for your mate,” George agreed, putting his arm around Poppy.

“But you have her now, and another child on the way.”

“Yes,” Poppy replied, her hand patting the small baby bump that was wrapped in a warm coat against the chill mountain air.

“All is forgiven.” The big dragon tickled Charlie, who giggled. “You are part of this family.”

“I hope so,” Poppy said.

“Call me Dad, and we’ll forget all about it.”

“Dad it is. Shall we go to the cabin?”

“Yes, we can’t wait to see it.”

“There’s not much to see,” Poppy said. “Although since we’ve been staying up here while the house is repaired, George has insisted on building a new wing.”

Eileen laughed. “That sounds like George, never satisfied unless he’s thinking big.”

“We needed somewhere for Alfie to sleep,” George protested.

“How is he?” Charles asked.

“On the mend. He’s making cocoa for us all. You know how he is,” George said.

“We owe him a debt of gratitude for saving Charlie from Zavier,” Charles tone was somber.

“We do.”

“I didn’t agree with you when you saved him, George. I hate feeling indebted to a clan. But you did the right thing.”

“Not often you say that, Charles,” Eileen said to her husband.

“Really?” Charles asked innocently.

“No,” Eileen said, laughing. “Don’t you learn your grandpa’s grouchy ways,” she told Charlie. “You be more like your father. Although I expect he is a grouch too, sometimes. Most men are.”

“He can be, but I wouldn’t have him any other way,” Poppy said.

“That is good to hear,” George said, putting his arm around her as they neared the cabin. They stopped, and he kissed her under the stars, in the place she had spent so many years hiding from him.

But now they were together, and Poppy had the kind of family she could only have dreamed of. As they turned toward the cabin, the door opened and Alfie stood waiting for them.

“It all turned out OK, didn’t it?” she asked.

“It did.”

“You know I used to dream of you?” Poppy admitted.

“And I used to dream of you. Every night. I’d close my eyes and there you were, in that blue dress,” George said. “You know, I never told you…”

“What?” Poppy asked. “Oh, come on, you can’t leave a girl hanging like that.”

“The night of the party…” He shook his head. “That crazy night.”

“Yes?”

“I didn’t give you the dress to wear so you would be bait.” He hugged her close. “I had it made after we first met. Because I knew one day I would meet you again. I had to, we are mates.”

“And fate brought us back together.”

“I like to believe so,” George said.

“I like to believe fate knew exactly what it was doing.” She patted his chest. “So you really are an old romantic?”

“Guilty as charged.”

Poppy might have been the thief who stole the Heartsfire Blade. But George had stolen something too that night. Her heart. Which she gave willingly to him, and he could keep it forevermore.

***

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