CHAPTER THREE

"W hat happened, Ashton? Where am I?" Ashton was relieved when Will finally woke up. He desperately needed someone to talk to that wasn't a dragon. Ashton explained what had happened and where they were.

"He brought us to their mountain den?" Ashton nodded. "Wow, I knew the dragon circle was here but never had the nerve to get close. It doesn't seem as ominous as I thought it would."

"It's ominous, all right," Ashton responded tightly. "They don't want us here, Will, they really don't."

“What do you mean?”

“They’re nice and all and they took care of you, but they don’t want us here. I was in the dining area kind off by myself having a cup of coffee and a sandwich and I heard a few talking.” Ashton leaned in closer to Will who was still lying flat in bed.

“What did you hear?”

"They were talking low, but they said something about Saphir being really upset that two more shifters were brought in. They said he told Roan, that's the man who saved us, to take care of it and send us on our way as soon as possible." Ashton struggled to hear, but he got the gist of the conversation.

“That’s . . . not good.” Will drew out the words as he processed their situation and their next move.

"Roan thinks the traps were meant for us and that someone wants to hurt us, but this Saphir they spoke of said it's not his problem, and our people can take care of us." Ashton was feeling decidedly unwelcome at that point. He'd already asked about leaving, but once he heard all that, he was definitely leaving.

"My boss, Mr. Quinell, works with the dragons, and Saphir is the second in command around here. King Bazil is his brother. If he wants us gone, we will be gone, and there will be no questions about it."

"I'd rather go on our own terms and not be thrown out. If you're feeling up to it, I've arranged for us to leave tomorrow afternoon. Roan is going to drive us back to town, and then I'll see about getting your car from the lot. It might have been impounded by this time."

“How long have we been here?”

“This is our second night.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.” Will agreed with him. “Can we leave soon like say in the morning?”

“Are you well enough? The doctor said to wait until afternoon.”

“I’m fine and besides I’ll feel better being in my own bed and if there are any problems, I’ll have you there with me if I need help so let’s leave in the morning.” Will was adamant.

“I’ll ask and see if we can leave earlier. They want us out of here so I’m sure they will find us a ride.” Ashton was feeling the urgency to go as Will’s anxiety began to grow. “You are really worked up over this.” He stated but it was actually a question.

“I met him once.”

“Who?”

"Saphir, and it was memorable. He has a presence that freezes and terrifies with a glance. He's taller than any other dragon I've ever seen, and he has a glare that slices through you. I'd say he was scary and intimidating, but that would be an understatement. I don't want to be on his bad side, and I certainly don't want to be lying about when he wants me gone." Will pulled himself up into a sitting position even though Ashton was trying to make him lay still.

“I’ll find a way out of here by morning. I don’t want to come face to face with Saphir my fox can be a bit timid and a dragon like Saphir might send him into a panic.” Ashton was genuinely afraid now whereas before he was simply irritated and inconvenienced.

"My fox hid for two days following that meeting, and the guy didn't say a word to me. We were just in the same room." Will made his discomfort very clear.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of here." Ashton figured he'd speak with the doctor, who would be in soon to check on Will and see about a ride home in the morning or even sooner. The dread building in Ashton's gut was not pleasant.

Saphir met Bazil for a late dinner after completing a review of the patrols and overseeing the return of several shifter communities back to their lands. It was a full day and eventful the number of outsiders had diminished significantly, and he was informed that the fox brothers would be leaving tomorrow.

“Where do we stand in regard to the effects of the curse?” Bazil enquired as he refilled Saphir’s wine glass. They were having a simple dinner of just steak and potatoes, but no dinner was complete without a relaxing glass of wine.

“It appears to be eradicated we are continuing to patrol but no more signs of its presence have been found.”

“Nik Hadden is leaving a unit of soldiers at the Coven’s mountain retreat.” He commented.

“That shouldn’t have any effect on us, and it might work in our favor.” Saphir smiled dryly.

“How so?” Bazil asked.

“The Coven can take care of the next flock of shifters who need help or care or protection.”

"Don't be such a snob Saphir. The shifter communities of the forest are our neighbors." Bazil goaded good-naturedly.

“I don’t mind them as neighbors, but I cannot abide them underfoot on a daily basis.” Saphir defended.

"Speaking of underfoot, how are the fox brothers doing?" Bazil asked, and Saphir laughed.

"They're leaving tomorrow afternoon. Roan is driving them back home, thank God."

"What about the threat to their lives? Has that been addressed?" Bazil wanted the circle back to normal as much as anyone, but he still cared about the welfare of others.

"I had Roan inform their leader of our suspicions, and he can take it from there," Saphir stated somewhat dismissively.

“Who is their leader?”

“Winston Garlock is the leader of their troop.”

"That troop is rather loosely run, from my understanding, hardly a community, really. Make sure their safety is attended to."

“Garlock gave Roan his assurance that the brothers would be safe.” Saphir reported and Bazil nodded. They completed their time together discussing other business and even future endeavors but for some reason Saphir found his thoughts continually going back to the fox brothers and their safety. He was being unnecessarily dismissive. Were they safe? Was he simply sending them away without taking proper precautions? The thoughts began to wear on him.

He should talk to them and get a fix on their situation. He'd been avoiding them since their arrival, not in the mood to entertain more shifters, but now he felt that he should lay eyes upon them. An urge to make sure they were in a good position to leave had slowly taken him over.

They had a duty to protect their fellow shifters those small and vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. He was becoming condescending and stuck up and that was not a good look for anyone. “I’ll stop and see Will and Ashton before they leave and determine their situation for myself.”

"Good idea." Bazil had led him to that decision but allowed him to claim it as his own. Bazil was a good King and an extraordinary leader. He seemed to know his people better than they knew themselves, and that was especially true for Saphir. "Talk to them, Saphir. Make sure Ashton understands the weight that is on his shoulders."

"I'll talk to Roan first and get his read on the men and their situation, and I'll make a concerted effort to listen this time." He smiled at Bazil and, without further discussion, left in search of Roan. He found him as he was exiting his quarters, and it looked like he was heading off somewhere.

“Where are you going?” Saphir asked.

“I’m going to do a transport.” He responded offhandedly. Saphir did not enquire further assuming that it was simply more shifters returning to their communities.

“I’ll walk with you.” He said. “I wanted to get your opinion on the brothers Ashton and Will Jennings.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Is it safe for them to return home tomorrow?"

Roan stopped to regard him. “That’s a moot point.”

“Why?”

"I'm on my way to transport them home. They asked to leave, and they didn't want to wait till tomorrow afternoon even though the doctor suggested that they should." Roan explained. "Apparently, Ashton heard something said in the dining room while he was having a cup of coffee that upset him, and both he and Will decided it was best if they left as soon as possible. I think they're afraid to stay, honestly, which is unfortunate because we still don't know who it was that set the traps."

“Where are they now?”

“Johan took them to the south portico. They should be waiting for me there.”

“I want to meet with them first so take your time go have a cup of coffee or something. Give me a few minutes with them.” Saphir needed to speak with them something inside of him was urging him not to let them go. It didn’t make sense, and he did not understand it. Even though he didn’t understand the urgency he did not dismiss what his instincts were telling him.

"I don't think Will is as recovered as he pretends to be. He needs more time, but I can't keep them here if they want to leave." Roan spoke to him in deeper terms, recognizing that Saphir was indeed worried about their wellbeing.

"I'll see what I can do." He headed to the south portico with the heavy thoughts of what Ashton had heard in the dining room that had caused him so much fear. The dragons were not threatening people, so why would he and Will believe they needed to leave immediately. It bothered him, and so did the fact that he spoke out against them more than once, and his desire to have them leave was made very clear. It was never his intention to terrorize them.

He saw them from a distance and instantly recognized the brothers. Will was larger and taller than his brother Ashton, but they were both smaller in stature than most other shifters. They were standing by the door, obviously anxious to get going. Will was leaning heavily on Ashton, who had his arm around him, steadying him as they waited.

They appeared so small and unassuming, and Saphir's need to have them leave seemed ridiculous. They weren't a bother, and they were in no one's way. Roan had often referred to him as an asshole when dealing with others, and today, at this moment, he really felt that the description fit. Whatever Ashton had heard in the dining room, it was his fault, and he accepted that.

Saphir stopped suddenly and took in the scene before him as a feeling and a rush of sensations cascaded along his flesh and stirred his dragon. The young men were causing this, no it was only one of them. Ashton his eyes locked onto the man the young fox and his dragon sprang forward, and his heart began to pound. Ashton Jennings was his mate. How could that be? He's been in their home for over two days he should have scented him before now.

He thought back to his reaction when they first arrived and how he had to force himself to ignore them. At the time he attributed it to simple curiosity, but it was more than that. The desire to see them went deeper than that he had to constantly attack and criticize, which was him reacting to the natural urge to get closer. His dragon was picking up on the signs and the scents even though he wasn’t aware of it.

He took a deep breath to calm his dragon and get control of himself. Ashton will not recognize him due to the cloak that all the dragons were utilizing to mute their scent and the power of their presence. His fox may feel something and may react to Saphir's dragon. Saphir chose to keep the cloak in place until he had a chance to present himself and ease his mate's anxieties about dragons. He believed that coming at him as his mate would be too overwhelming.

His mate looked to be about five foot four perhaps, he was well built with light blond hair. He couldn’t see his eyes but with hair like that they would also be light. His aura was warm and pleasant although tension filled the air. His brother was taller but also had light blond hair.

They looked very much alike, but Ashton was definitely the more handsome of the two. With another deep cleansing breath, Saphir steeled his resolve and headed over to meet his mate. What a trippy day this had turned into was the prevailing thought as he came face to face with the amazing Ashton Jennings.

"Hello," Saphir stated as he walked up to stand before them. "Roan is going to be a few minutes, so why don't you sit." He indicated a bench about ten feet to their left. They looked at him hesitantly and uncertainly. He reached his hand out to help steady Will, but the young man recoiled. It was a reaction he hadn't expected and was not accustomed to receiving. "You're safe, young one; do not fear." He stated, waiting for the fear that had spiked to ease off.

"I'm sorry," Will mumbled and leaned harder into Ashton. It appeared that Will recognized him, but Saphir could not remember ever meeting him.

"Nothing to be sorry for. Come and sit." He again tried to move them in the direction of the bench without getting too much into their personal space. Will had been the one to speak, but Ashton's side eye hit the hardest. He was distrusting and seemed offended. There was an insult there somewhere, but Saphir did not take it personal believing he deserved it for his previous unwelcoming behavior.

He could feel his mate’s hurt feelings and it was not pleasant his dragon wanted it dealt with immediately but that was impossible. They had a fair amount of road to travel before they would ever be at the point of discussing feelings. Saphir looked away and then back at them indicating they should sit before they fall down.

“How long will Roan be? How soon can we leave?” Ashton was still trying to balance Will leaning on him and remain on his feet and the exertions was showing.

“It may be a while.”

“We can’t stay.” He was adamant.

"You can stay there; there is no problem with you staying." Saphir made himself clear as he watched his mate try to remain standing.

"They want us out of here. Someone by the name of Saphir has demanded that we leave, and Will said that he has a lot of clout around here, so we would like to go." Saphir was shocked and shamed by this statement.

“I know for a fact that is not true.” He told them but Ashton was shaking his head.

“I heard them myself in the dining room.” He insisted. “We have to leave.”

"We have to leave." Will joined, but he was steadily losing consciousness.

“I am Saphir, and I assure you that you and your brother are welcome to remain as long as you please.” He probably said it harsher than needed but he wasn’t being heard. Ashton was losing his grip on Will who was losing consciousness so Saphir simply took Will from him and scooped him up into his arms. “You’re staying.” He said definitively and started walking away knowing full well that Ashton would follow.