Fae-ted to the Bear - Harmony Raines Page 0,86
old at least.”
Caleb sucked in a deep breath. Was his mate crazy? Ivan might not be a typical dragon, but he knew not to goad him. And Elise was certainly goading Fiona.
“I’m older than that. Much older.”
“And you’ve lived out here in the world beyond all this time?” Elise asked.
“The world beyond.” Her eyes narrowed and she stepped toward Elise, getting a little too close for Caleb’s comfort. “The world beyond what?”
“It can’t be easy living in secrecy.” Elise jutted out her chin, but Caleb could sense her unease. “But you’ve managed to all these years.”
“Not all of those years,” Fiona replied, a sadness in her eyes that wrenched Caleb’s heart. She turned away and stared out across the mountains. “Once there were many of us. But not anymore.”
“What happened to them?” Ivan whispered.
“We were hunted almost to extinction. It was so long ago that we’re a myth now. But a few of us hung on.” She turned back to Ivan, her expression softer. “Which is why I had to find you. When I sensed you, I had to track you down. And here you are, an enigma.”
“No, I’m a chef,” Ivan answered lightly.
Fiona chuckled. “A dragon chef. Why not?”
“Is this why you have been spying on Zara?” Caleb asked.
“No.” Fiona’s flat answer was unexpected.
“Why were you spying on her?” Flora asked.
“Wishing Moon Bay.” Fiona tapped her temple. “There’s something in here, locked away. Locked away in Wishing Moon Bay.”
Caleb’s heart hammered in his chest. She knows.
No. She doesn’t know. She just knows there is something to know. His bear blinked. That wasn’t supposed to sound like a riddle.
And yet a riddle is exactly what this is. Caleb pressed his lips together trying to figure out their next move.
“How did you survive, Fiona?” Elise pushed the dragon shifter for an answer to what seemed like a pointless question.
Perhaps she’s stalling for time, Caleb’s bear suggested.
She might be, but why? There’s no way out of this for us. We need Ivan to shift and for us all to climb on his back if we intend to escape. I don’t think Fiona’s going to just stand there and let us leave.
Perhaps Elise has something from the wildwood she could use on the dragon shifter. Some of the sycombre fruit. His bear licked his lips, unable to not think of the sweet-smelling mushrooms they’d brought back from the wildwood. If they could clear this up, they could be back in Wishing Moon Bay and eating fermented mushrooms within the hour.
“I survived by using my senses. I survived by my own ingenuity. I survived by keeping my head down and never drawing attention to myself.” Fiona licked her lips and glanced at Ivan. “Where did you come from?”
“You helped Ivan,” Elise announced.
Everyone around her sucked in a startled breath.
Caleb shook his head in disbelief. How could his mate betray them like this?
“I helped Ivan?” Fiona stared at the young dragon shifter. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“You have,” Elise told her. “But you chose not to remember.”
“I chose not to remember?” Fiona shook her head. “How?”
“Why would be the better question, don’t you think?” Elise drew closer to Fiona and Caleb reached out, wanting to pull her back toward him, pull her out of striking distance of the dragon shifter.
“Why?” Fiona rubbed her hand across her chin, her eyes unfocused.
“Because you do what you have to do to survive. You always have.” Elise’s body language softened. “You did what you had to do to protect people you care about.”
Fiona tilted her head back and raised her chin. “That’s why I don’t remember Ivan or Wishing Moon Bay.”
“Yes.” Elise put her hands up. “You helped him find a home, a family of his own. A family who loves him. And maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. If you knew why, if we knew why, then we might all be in danger. Your family might be in danger.”
Fiona looked at them each in turn. “And family is what matters most. We protect those who love us. We protect those who need us.” She sighed. “Tell your sister I won’t be troubling her anymore. I got caught up in the moment. I heard her talking to you on the phone when I visited the other day. When I heard her say Wishing Moon Bay, it was like there was an itch inside of my head that I just couldn’t scratch. It drove me a little crazy.”
“That’s it, you’re going to let it go?” Caleb