New Blood

Chapter 3

Everly was wrapping up her reports when a knock sounded on her open door. She looked up to see her mate, Ashton, and their daughter, Darcy, walking into the room. She smiled and waved at them as she made the last clicks of her mouse, finishing the review and closing it down for the day.

“What are you two doing here?” Everly asked as she hugged Darcy and lifted her onto her lap before kissing Ashton. “I thought you were working and Darcy was at daycare today.”

“I was working, Darcy was at daycare. Then I finished work and decided Darcy needed to spend more time with us, or at least in the yard with Violet and the other fey dragons,” Ashton said with a smile. “The only thing missing was you, so we came to find you to see if you have time to join us for a little break in the nearest park.”

“My day ends in about two minutes, so I think I can manage that,” Everly grinned as she smoothed Darcy’s hair. “But instead of a break in the park, what do you say we sneak over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to see if Lucy and Callum have any goodies that we can take on a short adventure into the forest?”

“Yeah!” Darcy nodded eagerly. “I want to explore the forest.”

“OK. But it will have to be a short exploration. We are having dinner at your grandparents’ house, and Aunt Lia and Uncle Logan are bringing everyone in their families. That way, you will have plenty of cousins to play with after you eat. Sound like fun?” Everly asked.

“Yup,” Darcy nodded

Everly looked at Ashton to see that he was nodding and grinning, just like their daughter.

“It sounds like fun to me, too,” Ashton agreed. “I think we can all use a little time in the forest to recharge ourselves.”

“Then let’s go so we have time to recharge before a huge and noisy family dinner,” Everly said as she got to her feet and eased Darcy to the floor. Everly pointed up and said, “Off to Lucy’s kitchen we go!”

-

Ashton carried their backpack as he, Everly, and Darcy followed the well-worn trail into the forest. Lucy and Callum, Ashton’s father, had insisted they had plenty to curb any hunger pains the trio might develop as they explored before dinner. The exploration was minor. They followed a frequently used trail in the forest, and they would be only a matter of minutes from the Emery family home if they needed help. Still, Callum and Lucy had stuffed a backpack full of food and drinks for them.

“Why don’t we sit down and have a snack?” Every asked.

“Good idea. Let’s lay everything out on that boulder. We can sit on it and rest while we eat,” Ashton suggested.

Darcy raced over to the rock and climbed up to stand on top of it. Everly and Ashton were both smiling at her as they approached. They loved her energetic and adventurous spirit. So far, they had not seen her afraid of anything, which concerned them. Without fear, there was a better chance that she might be hurt while doing something risky.

“Do you know what they gave us?” Everly asked. “Lucy and your dad were both sticking things in, and I lost track of what they were doing. I can smell roast beef, cheese, bread, and cookies, but there are spices and other things that I can’t quite pick out.”

Ashton laughed, “That’s because they put those things in last, and the pack is so stuffed that it didn’t zip completely. Help me unpack, and we will see what we have.”

Everly and Ashton unpacked the meal and laid everything on the boulder. Darcy sat down on the rock and watched as the food was placed beside her. Everly gave her a cookie as Ashton took the last items from the bag.

“What do you want besides the cookie?” Everly asked her.

“Grapes,” Darcy said.

“That’s all you want?” Ashton questioned, giving Everly a worried glance. “Are you feeling alright, Darcy? You didn’t have much breakfast this morning. I thought you would be starving by now.”

“Nuh-uh,” Darcy said as she put a grape in her mouth. “I’m just not hungry. Plus, I want to save room for dinner at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s.”

“I can’t fault her for that,” Everly grinned. “I have done the same thing many times over the years.”

“So have I,” Ashton admitted with a sigh. “What would you like, my love? They send a loaf of fresh bread, cheese, roast beef, pasta salad of some kind, fruit, cookies, sandwiches, and I believe it is leftover enchiladas.”

“Do you mind if I have the enchiladas and part of the roast beef?” Everly asked as she looked around the area.

“Of course not, my love. I am content with fruit and some bread. You are welcome to everything else if you want it,” Ashton offered as he pulled a fork out of a pouch on the side of the backpack. He handed the enchiladas to Everly before retrieving a knife and cutting up the roast beef further. “There you go, my love. Enjoy.”

Ashton had not missed that Everly kept looking around the area. He glanced around but did not see anything. His sense of hearing and smell were similar to those of a human, and he knew Everly would be able to detect something unusual long before he could. He looked at Darcy, happily eating grapes as she watched a caterpillar crawl across the forest floor.

“What’s wrong. Do you hear or smell something that should not be here?” Ashton asked Everly.

“No, but something feels off. Have you noticed how quiet everything is? Quiet because we’re out here is one thing. The quiet that is here now is different. When it’s us, the birds are a little more subdued and not as close. They know us and know we aren’t a threat. Right now, there is nothing. There isn’t even wind rustling the leaves. Not a single bird or squirrel is fussing because we are too close to them. Nothing. It’s total silence.”

“What should we do? If we hurry and leave, and there is something here, whatever it is, it will know that we are aware of it. If we go without alerting them, maybe Kevin or Jules can locate who or what it is.”

Everly sighed and replied, “Let’s eat, but stay on guard. We keep Darcy right with us until we leave. We can walk over to that little clearing, and then I will shift and fly us straight to Mom and Dad’s. That will get us out of here and make it look like we are just doing our thing.”

“Good plan. Eat fast, my love. You will need it if you are going to shift and carry us home,” Ashton said as he pushed the roast beef toward her.

“Hey, Darcy? What do you say, that after we eat, we walk over to the clearing and fly to Grandma and Grandpa’s house? I didn’t realize how late it is getting, and we don’t want to be late for dinner,” Everly told her daughter, keeping the real reason between her and Ashton.

“Yay!” Darcy cheered.

Ashton grinned and winked at Everly as he said, “Then come and eat a bite or two of cheese for me. You need to have plenty of energy to hold on tight. Mommy might do barrel rolls like your cousin Kyra does when your Aunt Bex rides on her back.”

“There will be no barrel rolls today,” Everly said. “But your daddy is right. You do need to eat so you have the strength to hold on nice and tight.”

“OK,” Darcy sighed as she slouched and went to where her father was standing. “Can I have the noodles instead?” she asked, pointing to the container of pasta salad.

“Oh, course you can,” Ashton said as he opened it and gave her a fork. “Stand right here and use the rock as a table. Can you do that?”

“Yup,” Darcy said as she took the fork from her father and began to eat.

Everly looked directly at her daughter and took a big bite of her meal. Darcy giggled and did the same. Ashton picked up on Everly’s cue and did the same. Everly was pulling their daughter into a contest to see who could eat the fastest without saying a word. It was not something they often did, but there were times when speed was essential. In no time, they had eaten their meals, and Ashton was packing up the last few things into the backpack.

“Are we ready to go?” Everly asked as she took Darcy’s hand.

“Ready!” Ashton and their daughter replied in unison.

“Then let’s get going. We don’t want to be late for dinner,” Everly said as they started walking toward the nearby clearing.

“But we won’t want to eat dinner. We just ate,” Darcy said as they walked.

“We will be hungry by the time we get there. Flying always makes us hungry, even if I am the only one doing the work,” Everly giggled as they stepped into the clearing. “I’ll make a couple of circles over the forest to make sure I’m hungry for dinner.”

Everly took a few steps ahead and turned to look at her mate and daughter as she shifted. As soon as she was in her dragon form, Ashton picked up Darcy and climbed onto Everly’s back. He sat Darcy in front of him so he could hold her tight as they rode. He gave Everly a pat on the side to let her know they were ready. With that signal, she launched herself into the sky and began a slow circle, working her way outward from where they had stopped for their break.

“Do you see anything?” Ashton asked Everly through the mindlink.

“Nothing. I’ll tell Dad about it when we get to the house. I don’t know what is going on, but something is very off from what it should be,” Everly replied.

She cut the link and turned toward her parents’ house. Regardless of why the forest was so silent, it was something her father, as the present Dragon Lord, would need to address or investigate. Depending on what it was, she and Logan might need to deal with it. She did not relish that idea, but if it had to be done, it had to be done.