Seed of the Dragon: A Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance (9 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Rachel”

“So, two more days?” Shawn asked.

“Yup,” I answered.

“And what, you’re just going to keep laying down and reading books the entire time?” Shawn asked.

“Yup,” I answered.

Shawn sighed and put his head in his hands. “You know, when you said that you had business to take care of I thought you were serious,” Shawn said.

“I am, serious about finishing this book,” I deadpanned.

Shawn groaned from his place on the floor with Michael. “Is your mother always like this?” he asked Michael.

“Yup!” Michael said, mimicking me.

“Oh my god, now there’s two of you,” Shawn sighed.

“Yup! Yup! Yup!” Michael chanted.

Shawn rolled on the floor and groaned some more. I had to admit he was great entertainment for Michael. Plus, now Michael could spend some quality time with another guy and I could finally finish this book that I’ve been putting off for the last while in order to help Auntie around the house.

I got that shiver down my spine again and sat up suddenly. I got up and looked outside the front window but saw nothing.

“Is something wrong, Rachel?” Shawn asked, sounding concerned.

“Just got a feeling we were being… watched,” I said.

Shawn got up suddenly and looked out the window with me. He then went to the kitchen and looked out the back window.

“Did you feel this before?” he asked.

“Um, yeah, why?” I answered.

“We should leave,” he stated.

“Pardon?” I asked.

“We need to leave. Call your aunt and tell her that she can’t come home and to stay somewhere else for the next few days until we call her again,” Shawn said.

“Wait, wait, wait, and slow down!” I said.

Shawn was already grabbing the first bag he could find and stuffing things into it like Michael’s toys and my book. “We’re in trouble and we need to leave, now! While we still can,” Shawn said.

“Why?!” I yelled.

“They’re coming after me, after us,” Shawn explained.

“Who?” I asked.

“The FBI, the shifter factions, my old boss probably,” Shawn spoke quickly.

“The FBI?! Why in the hell would they be after us?” I asked.

“That would be because of our little love child here,” Shawn said while glancing over at Michael. “After all, you can guess how rare children with a shifter and a human parent are born, especially since we are not allowed to mate with your kind.”

“You said you would wait the three days, though,” I argued.

“That was before you started having these feelings that we were being watched! You need to trust your guts more, they’re usually right,” Shawn said.

I sighed. “At least let me pack my own things,” I said.

“Fine, but hurry! And call Auntie!” Shawn said.

“She’s my aunt not yours,” I said pettily.

“She won’t be anybody’s aunt if she’s
dead
,” Shawn said darkly.

A shiver went down my spine and I quickly grabbed at the house phone. I had a horrible picture of Auntie mauled, bloody and beaten. Even if it wasn’t true, it was better to be safe than sorry. I would hate to put Auntie in trouble by letting her return home.

“The FBI won’t do anything to her unless they know she’s connected for sure and knows something, they won’t risk getting onto this country’s bad side, at least not right now,” Shawn said.

He was trying to comfort me.

“What about the shifters you mentioned?” I asked.

“They’re… different. They aren’t like the FBI, they don’t belong to one particular government, and especially the ones in Europe since there are so many countries in so little space in comparison to the States,” Shawn explained.

“That doesn’t really make me feel better,” I complained.

“I’m not the type to lie,” Shawn replied.

I began to dial Auntie’s cell. She didn’t answer so I left a message telling her not to come home for the next little while.

“So what’s next?” I asked.

“Pack a backpack and no more. Enough that you can live off, but little enough that you can run with it,” said Shawn. “Put Michael’s stuff in there too.”

I nodded and grabbed a backpack from the closet. I stuffed in necessities like toothbrushes, toothpaste, underwear, socks, a couple shirts, a pair of pants, clothes for Michael, my wallet, keys, and Michael’s favorite teddy bear since his train was far too big.

“Where are we going, though?” I asked, “We can’t run away without an idea of where to go.”

“Dublin,” Shawn answered.

“Dublin? Why Dublin?” I asked.

“We'll be safe there,” Shawn said.

“That does not answer my question, Shawn,” I said.

“It’s hard to explain, especially on such short notice. Just trust me!” he said.

“I don’t trust you,” I admitted.

Shawn sighed and put his head in his hands. “Don’t trust me, just believe that I have Michael’s and your well-being in mind,” Shawn said.

I looked at Michael and then back to Shawn. Shawn seemed to have this soft look on his face while he was entertaining Michael. I could believe that even if he felt nothing for his son, he felt something for this kid in the room now, that somehow in the last while he has bonded with Michael and grown a sort of affection for the kid.

“I believe you,” I said, “but I have veto power.”

“What?” Shawn said.

“I can veto any of your decisions if they seem dodgy to me,” I said.

“This is going to be difficult with you, isn’t it?” Shawn commented.

“Don’t be rude!” I laughed back.

I crossed my arms and looked out the window.

“Did you feel it again?” Shawn asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

That horrible feeling in my gut had returned and I could feel myself beginning to break out in a cold sweat. It was worse this time, as if whatever danger I had sensed before was getting closer to us.

“Rachel?” Shawn asked in concern.

I grabbed at my stomach and sighed. “It’s nothing, I just…” I began.

“Believe in your gut,” Shawn said.

“We need to leave. Now,” I said.

Shawn grabbed at my backpack and put the straps on his shoulders. “Let’s go,” he said as he held out his hand.

I took it and relishing in how callused yet soft it was.

“Rachel?” Shawn called out.

“Yes?” I said.

“You’re kind of holding my hand a bit too tight, it hurts,” he said.

I let my grip go slack. “Sorry the stress must be getting to me,” I said.

“It’s alright,” Shawn smiled. “I was also hoping we could leave at night so the trip would be faster but if it’s that dangerous right now then we should leave immediately.”

“Why night?” I asked.

“It’ll be easier to slip away, plus I could fly us to Dublin,” Shawn said.

“F-f-fly us?!” I exclaimed.

“I am a dragon, remember?” said Shawn.

I felt myself grow a little faint.

“Rachel?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I repeated. “Michael?”

“Yes, Mommy?” Michael answered from his place on the floor with his train.

“We need to go,” I said.

“Again?” Michael asked.

“Again, otherwise the bad man might come for us,” I lied.

“Oh!” Michael exclaimed, “we need to go!”

“Yes, Michael, we need to go,” Shawn said.

“Is Shawn coming with us?” Michael asked.

“Yes, he is,” I said to Michael.

Michael got up and stood beside me. “I’m ready!” Michael exclaimed.

“No you’re not,” I laughed. “You need a jacket.”

I grabbed my son’s jacket from the closet and helped him slip it on. I grabbed my own and a large one for Shawn. I passed Shawn the large jacket.

“It was Auntie’s husband’s,” I said as I handed it over.

“Are you sure she won’t mind?” Shawn asked.

“She’s been meaning to get rid of his things for a long time. Besides, it’ll be of more use to you than in the closet,” I said.

“Thanks,” said Shawn.

We both slipped on our jackets and put on our shoes, Shawn helping Michael before putting on his own. Once we were all ready, we exited through the front door.

“Won’t they follow us from here?” I asked, feeling a chill.

“Yes, so we’ll have to lose them somehow,” Shawn explained.

“And how exactly are we going to do that?” I asked.

We walked down the driveway, me and Michael trailing behind Shawn. Shawn didn’t answer and just walked over to the first driveway with a car he could find.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Michael held my hand and looked up at me and Shawn as we spoke. Shawn kneeled down next to the driver side of the car and transformed his hands into claws like I had seen before. He was fiddling with the lock.

“I’m going to steal this car,” Shawn said nonchalantly.

“What?” I exclaimed, “That’s illegal!”

“We’re going to need it more than whoever it belongs to,” he tried to reason with me.

“You think that you can just steal a car in broad daylight and get away with it?!” I said in surprise.

Done it before,” Shawn said with a smile.

“Michael, do not listen to him,” I said to my son.

Shawn was being a terrible influence on Michael, but I couldn’t really argue that we needed a car. There was no way we’d lose whoever had their eye on us by going on public transportation. I sighed and looked away.

“Turning a blind eye?” Shawn asked.

“Oh shut it,” I replied in a sour tone.

“Shut it! Shut it!” Michael chanted.

“You’re such a bad influence on your son,” Shawn remarked.

I gave him a death glare. Shawn laughed. Finally, the car door lock clicked and Shawn was able to open it. He then unlocked the doors from the inside and motioned for us to get into the car. I got into the back with Michael, not wanting to sit in the front passenger seat without him. Shawn then leaned way back and began to hotwire the car.

“Quite knowledgeable in this, I see,” I commented.

“Have to be in my line of work,” he replied.

“You never told me what you do,” I said only just realizing this.

“I’m an assassin,” Shawn said.

I burst out in laughter, tears building up in my eyes from it.

“What’s so funny?” Shawn asked.

“You, you are so funny,” I laughed, “there’s no way you-“

Shawn looked at me seriously, his golden eyes burning into my retinas.

“You-“ I said.

“Yes?” Shawn answered.

“Nothing…” I trailed off.

He wasn’t lying, I could tell. Shawn was a man who killed for a living. The truth started sinking in. I thought about his claws when he partially shifted. I wondered how many throats they’ve cut through, how many necks he’s broken. I should consider him dangerous then, but it didn’t feel like that. It just felt like Shawn. Felt like the man I fell in love with five years ago.

I fell in love with him? I guess that is true, but I really didn’t want to admit it for all these years, and now that he’s turned up and shoved his way into my life like this I… I’m not sure how I feel at all. I feel at ease with him, my gut says that he has no ulterior motives, and Auntie said to listen to my gut. I felt like I could believe in him, maybe not trust, but believe enough that I would run away to Dublin with him for the safety of my child.

“Aha!” Shawn exclaimed as the engine roared to life.

“Took long enough,” I complained.

Shawn pouted as he looked back at me. “I’m trying my best, alright?” he said.

“Well get good,” I laughed.

Shawn put the car into drive and began to back out of the driveway. As we drove I felt that horrible feeling in my stomach start to wane.

“I think we’re getting farther from whatever was giving me that feeling,” I said.

“That’s good,” Shawn replied.

It was starting to get dark and I could tell Michael was beginning to nod off. I put my arm around his shoulder and leaned him onto my side.

“It’s okay to sleep,” I said.

Michael simply nodded and nuzzled into me. I smiled softly and began to pet his hair gently, lulling him to sleep. It was starting to get dark outside and I couldn’t help but feel that gut wrenching worry again.

“I don’t think we’re safe yet,” I whispered, hoping that Shawn would hear me.

“I know,” he replied, “We’ll keep going as far as we can in the car, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay awake, the drive is about eight hours.”

“We can switch at some point,” I said.