Dragon Keep Me

Chapter Six

Natalie

"Hey!" I screamed. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Tears stung my eyes, and I was about to throw hands. I did not carry that card around for my entire life just to have Goth Barbie rip it in half!

River held her hand up, as if to calm me, but it only pissed me off more. I looked at Cass. "I'm gonna beat this lady's ass!"

He winced, and with a slight shake of his head, said, "I would not recommend trying."

I wanted to answer, but the air shifted. There was a bright pink flash, like a camera, and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I took a step back. Another woman had appeared right next to River.

She was grinning from ear to ear and looking around the room, nodding at everyone in greeting. Pink. Her look was over the top pink. She had long, curly, bubblegum-pink hair, a pink tulle dress, white and pink striped socks, and bright pink makeup. Her skin was perfect, a smooth umber shade that contrasted brilliantly with her color of choice. She was a young fairy godmother, and had that immediate pull that some people have. You know, where you just like them and you don’t know why?

"River! How are you?" she cried, hugging the blonde witch who awkwardly patted her back. "Now who called me?"

River held up my now torn card to show her. "Nadaria, you have some explaining to do."

"Wow, this one is older than I’m used to seeing," Nadaria said, taking it from her and looking at it. "Most people don’t wait this long to make a wish."

"It’s hers," River answered, pointing a bony finger at me.

Nadaria looked at me and then grinned, tilting her head and resting her cheeks on her steepled hands. "Aw! I remember you! But last time I saw you, you were this big!" She held out her hands to the length of a bread loaf.

"Why in the goddess' name would you curse this child?" River asked, shaking her head.

Child? I would be thirty-one next March. How could Nadaria have known me as a baby? She looked barely twenty years old.

"I didn’t curse her!" Nadaria said, scoffing. "Well, I suppose I kind of did…but I did it to save her life! That wretched sister of yours wanted her."

Cass growled—growled—next to me and I glanced over, my eyes wide. He cleared his throat, acting like it hadn't happened.

"I see," River muttered. "Morga has chosen her to be one of her daughters?"

I looked around to see if anyone else was confused. "What?"

This Morga was obviously bad, but nothing else made any damn sense. I truly hated this. My therapist suggested I have control issues.

"Well, you’re very special, dear," Nadaria said, winking at me. "She had her eye on you before you were even born."

Nadaria looked at River expectantly. "Did you figure it out yet?"

River peered at me, but frowned.

Nadaria giggled, wiggling her fingers together. "Oh, see, I knew I did a good job with this one. You can’t even tell!"

"Tell what?" I asked, wringing my hands.

"Well, you are a witch, yes, but your father was a dark elf. You’re a night fae, too!"

Cass

That was why the scent didn’t make any sense. I knew I should’ve been able to tell if Natalie was a witch, even with the masking that Nadaria had placed on her.

Nadaria continued, "Fae and witches intermingle regularly, but not dark elves. They mostly stay hidden underground. That’s why you’re special. Morga expected you to be unique."

Natalie did laugh this time, a dry chuckle. "I'm a fae? Like a fairy? Like Tinkerbell?"

Nadaria giggled. "Oh no, not a sprite, dear! You'd be much shorter. A fae."

Natalie just stared at her, mouth open.

"Like, uh, Legolas," Finn offered, snickering.

Nadaria was nodding. "Yes. Good, Finn. Kind of like Legolas... if he had a darker, evil twin," she said, her voice getting deeper, and she growled under her breath like she found it sexy, then giggled.

Natalie was saying under her breath, "They're all f*****g insane. Or am I insane?" Out loud, she asked, "Is this a joke? This is a joke, right? Is there a camera somewhere in here? Kellen! Are you messing with me?" She held out her arms, yelling, "HAHA! You got me! Now, grow up!"

She started looking around the room for a hidden camera. I frowned. Who was Kellen? A boyfriend? Crux growled, and I had to strangle the urge to let it free again.

'We'll kill him,' he said plainly, like it was a perfectly reasonable solution.

I sighed. 'Calm down. It doesn't matter anyway. We are not keeping her,' I said, not knowing if I was trying to convince him or myself.

"Alright," Finn said, standing and slapping his legs. "I’m showing her."

He meant to shift to his wolf.

I held up my hands. "Not you! You're too ugly! You’ll scare her!"

"Shaw says f**k you," he snapped and then grinned, his eyes lighting up with mischief. "Anyway, I promise I'll be good."

"You will not," I argued, knowing that look.

"I'll do it," Kat suggested. "I’m less scary."

"Yes, much prettier," I agreed with a wink, earning a dark look from Finn, who put his hand around her waist.

Kat could shift to both a wolf and a fox thanks to her heritage as a kitsune and a werewolf. Hana was her fox, and was much less intimidating than a wolf. Cute even.

"Well, if we’re talking less scary, Cass should just do it," Finn said, smirking. "He looks like he came straight out of a children's movie."

He was referring to his favorite nickname for me, Toothless. I glared at him, and his smile widened.

"Cass shifting in the middle of my office is a no," Gideon said from his desk. "Go ahead, Kat."

Kat nodded and the magic of the shift filled the air. It was all so normal for the rest of us, but when Kat’s bones started popping as they physically changed, Natalie covered her mouth with her hand and stepped behind me. She watched Kat from around my shoulder, and in a matter of seconds a small white fox stood on the floor.

Hana looked rather comical, still wearing Kat’s t-shirt and leggings. She yipped, and leaned into Finn’s outstretched hand, letting him scratch behind her ears.

River said, "Take a breath, Natalie."

"Oh s**t, she’s going down!" Finn yelled, laughing.

I turned to see that Natalie had a whitish-green color to her face, and was, indeed, about to pass out. I caught her, and she slumped against me. Crux purred, liking the contact.

'Don't be a creep,' I told him, and he purred louder.

Eris was by my side. She had a special wolf, and was an extraordinarily powerful healer.

I did not like how sickly the woman in my arms looked, and I lost my bearings for a moment, whispering, "Elizabeth?"

Eris’ head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at me. My traitorous cheeks warmed and I looked away, unable to hold her gaze. She spared me further embarrassment by not saying anything about my mistake.

"She’ll be okay," Eris said after she laid her hand on Natalie's forehead, glaring at me, "but she needs to eat."

I shook my head. "I promise I already tried to feed her!"

River looked at the pink witch. "I’ll be calling on you again very soon, Nadaria. You still have a lot of explaining to do."

Nadaria nodded, clicking her tongue. "I’ll be happy to explain everything when she wakes up. Poor dear."