The Dragon's ready mate Family

Chapter 5

Waking up the next morning, Sheara found herself in Darius's bed. Surprised she looked around, trying to remember what happened after she joined him in the study, when her eyes fell on the couch with a bundled-up blanket over it. The poor man must have slept on it, she realized. Slipping out of the bed, she heard a rush of feet, before the door burst open.

Cries of "Mummy! Mummy! " filled the air and the next moment, Sheara was tackled back on to the bed by four arms wrapping around her. Laughing, she quickly turned the tables on the children by pinning them underneath her and tickling them and giving Lion-like roars till they were left gasping for breath. 

"Mummy, Darius says we can go play outside!"

The sound of a throat being cleared brought her back to reality. Glancing towards the door, she sees Darius leaning against the door frame with a smile playing around his lips.

"Is it true? Are we out of house arrest then?"

"I can't see why not. However, just be careful please. My...uhm, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to one of you."

Slowly walking till she was in front of him, mindful that he couldn't see her facial expressions to know how thankful and glad she was, she touched him softly on the cheek, "Thank you, so very, very much. We will be careful, I promise!"

Leaning into her touch, his eyes flashed a moment of gold, making her gasp in surprise before dropping her hand. This time she couldn't make it off as her imagination, nor as being overtired or anything else. "Darius?" A questioning note in her voice, topped with a note of fear seeping into her voice.

"I'm sorry. Please, don't be scared, it's okay..." but before he could explain the two boisterous children pushed past them, running down to hall to get out the house.

With a quick glance to him again, she smiled then said "oops, let me go get them, they need to eat breakfast first I think." 

"I'll have Collin set the table."

"No please don't. Breakfast I try to keep informal if at all possible, just around the kitchen, maybe? I would however love to have dinner with you later. I mean around the table, all of us, off course?"

A few hours later, Sheara and the children was walking on the beach when she sees a very excited Aria running towards her. Smiling Aria throws her arms around Sheara when she gets near.

"I'm so, so glad to see you! This is like the BEST thing EVER! It's so good to be able to chat with you. I told you we're going to be the best friends ever! I'm so glad you're out of the house. A, this is so lekker!"

Sheara can't help but burst out laughing about the other girl's exuberance. Aria automatically links her arm through that off Sheara.

"Now listen here, Bestie, I think it's time for you and me to have some serious talk! First off, what type of wine do you like? And please don't tell me it's dry, because there's no one got time for that!"

Laughing and talking the two ladies walk around the beach, getting to know each other while helping the children look for seashells and jumping between small pools looking for fish. Sheara found it ever so strange that anytime Aria would come closer, any sea animal that was close would swim off, but Aria just laughed it off. 

Sheara couldn't help but admire the other girl's sunny personality. She was told that the girl was 28 years old and had studied medicine in Pretoria, before coming back here to live with her family again. She was, strange as it might sound, married to Collin, whom she apparently also dated while in High school. She mentioned something about being live mates? The word mates had Sheara looking at Aria in worry and stress, but the other girl didn't notice this.

Around midday a new man showed up. Bowing at the two ladies, he introduced himself as Troy, before asking them if they would like a picnic on the beach. Excitedly Aria run off with him to help him pack a picnic basket and all the other necessities. Sheara turned her attention back to the children that was building a sandcastle.

"Mummy can we take a swim, PLLEEAASE!!"

"Not right now Rudi, you've been sick, so please stay out of the water for now, Okay?!"

"But Mummy...!"

"No but's Rudi, don't go near the water without me and no swimming."

"Okay mum" a grumpy voice sounded.

Smiling she turned her attention back to the ever-sunny Aria, that was running back followed by a more sedate Collin and Troy, leaving Sheara to wonder where Darius was. As if reading her mind, Collin spoke up.

"Darius had to leave to go to a meeting but he said we are to assist you in getting comfortable and make sure you had everything for a nice lunch on the beach if you so desire."

Collin sounded much more subservient than usual, leaving Sheara to frown and wonder on what was happening, before he left to go back to the house.

It was while they all were busy unpacking the lunch basket and putting up the picnic when a soul wrenching, ear splitting scream reached them. The tide had started to move in, and while they were busy with the picnic, Rudi had climbed up onto the rocks and a wave had crashed over him and he was being pulled out to sea by a rip tide. 

Turning around, Sheara's mind seemed to have gone blank, she couldn't spot her children. Both were missing from her view. Where could they be? Starting to run frantically towards the shore, her eyes scanning the ocean, trying to see a body so that she could help them.

"Aria, help me! They can't swim! We've never been to the ocean before! Aria!"

Suddenly her body got jerked to a standstill as a hand wrapped around her arm. "Stand still!" Troy's voice was an order that she couldn't ignore. But that's when she saw it too, the thing that had Troy bringing her to such a sudden halt. While scanning the ocean, she didn't notice the strange light radiating from behind one of the rocks where the children had been playing. 

Slowly a body, surrounded by a radiant red light, arms outstretched to the side, head thrown back and hair in all directions, started to rise into the air. Recognizing her daughter, Sheara let out a scream "KENDY!!! NO!!"

It was as if Kendy couldn't hear her or wasn't paying attention. Then, out of the red pulsating light, another softer reddish light streaked over the ocean, lifting another body out of the water. This body was limp, as if it had no strength left. Softly the red light lifted him up and brought it towards the shore. When finally the light let the limp body dropped to the sand, before the body of Kendy to, crumbled into the last soft waves of the water on the shore. Her feet couldn't carry her fast enough towards her son's limp body before she crumbled into a heap next to him screaming his name over and over. 

"Move! Let me help Sheara! Troy, get the girl, NOW!" There was a sudden commanding tone to Aria. Gone was the girl that is all sunshine and roses, replaced by a totally, in control woman, doing what she was trained to do; saving lives.

Aria immediately started blowing into the boy’s mouth, pinching to close the nose and tilting the head back, before pressing on his chest 5 times and repeating the blowing motion.

Luckily for everyone, it only took a short moment of CPR before the boy started coughing and spitting uncontrollably. Sheara grabbed the soaking wet body of her son to her while sobbing uncontrollably, before glancing up towards where Troy stood with her daughter in his arms. 

"Is... Is she Okay?"

"I can feel a pulse and all that, I think she's just exhausted." There was wonder, fear and something else in the man's eyes and voice as he looked down at the girl cradled in his arms, that had just, out of nowhere saved her brother with magic. That was something that even this man hadn't seen before.

"Put her down on the picnic blanket in the shade, then move Rudi as well so they can both rest. Thank you, Troy." The business-like note hadn't left Aria's voice yet. Then turning she addressed Sheara. "What was that? What happened? What did Kendy do, Sheara?"