The Dragon’s Brave Nanny (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #4)

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

***KEITH***

K eith stopped in the clearing where they were planning to build their cabin, closed his eyes, let his magic swim to the surface, and then slammed it back in place. “She’s not here,” he said, turning to look at Montgomery. She should be here; there’s no place else she would have gone.”

“I’ll go check the beach,” Montgomery said. “Maybe she fell asleep in the shade or something.”

He’d made a complete circuit of the job site before Montgomery came back. “I’m sorry, Keith, I didn’t find her,” he said, then hesitated. “There’s a black speed boat beached in a cove about a half-mile from here. It’s not one of ours, and it looks like someone has been living in it.”

He let out a few of his more creative cuss words. “I’m sorry, man, I shouldn’t have left her here alone,” Mongomery said. “I tried to get her to go with me, I had to get to the docks…”

“It was her fault, not yours, stubborn woman,” he said. “Go back to the village, call Max and let him know what’s happened. He’ll know what to do. ”

“Are you sure?” Mongomery asked. “I could help you look for her.”

“Getting word to Max right now is more important,” he said. “The man who’s taken Stella is very dangerous. He won’t hesitate to kill if he’s cornered. I don’t want anyone else putting their life on the line.”

Montgomery didn’t look convinced. “Even more reason you shouldn’t go alone,” he said. “Two against one is always better.”

He hesitated, not sure how to make the man understand that he was more than just a man. “Trust me, I can handle him alone. I’m a lot tougher than I look,” he finally said. “What I can’t handle is anyone getting hurt.”

Montgomery studied him for a second. “I’ve been working for Max long enough to know better than to ask what that means,” he finally said. “A lot of strange things happen on this island; nothing really surprises me anymore. You know where to find me if you need help.”

“Thanks, Montgomery,” he said. “I’ll remember that.”

Montgomery turned and headed for the village at a run. He headed in the opposite way, then slowed when he got to the cabin site and let his magic flare again. It bubbled to the surface, heightening his senses one by one, and he picked up Stella’s unique scent instantly, but when he followed it, he found himself at a crossroads, facing the choice between three trails. Afraid he would take the wrong one, he stood staring at them for several seconds, then something strange began to happen, and he staggered back a step.

Before he could completely absorb what he was seeing, the jungle had covered the opening to two of the trails, vines and underbrush sprouting and stretching before his eyes. He shook his head in confusion for only a second before taking off up the trail, brushing it aside, more concerned with catching up to Stella and the killer who had her in his grip .

Only a few seconds later, he heard a man’s voice echoing through the trees. “You little bitch, I’m going to find you and make you sorry you ever lived,” he screamed. “That stunt is going to cost you. Before I’m finished with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you.”

Anger swelled inside him. His magic, already running hot, was nearly impossible to control as the need to protect his mate slowly took over. A killing rage almost overwhelmed him, but he managed to rein it in long enough for the man’s words to filter through his brain. Stella had escaped. She was in the jungle running for her life, and he needed to get to her first, and then he’d kill Simon Maynard if he had to.

He sniffed the air, trying to pick up Stella’s scent, but caught only the stench of evil and had to force himself to take a deep breath again to fight the urge to kill. The air in his lungs came whooshing out a second later when the plants on the edge of the trial suddenly began to part, leaving an open trail through the jungle. Without thinking, he plunged into the foliage, strangely unsurprised when leaves, limbs, and branches parted before him, leading him up a steep hill.

When he came out at the top, a bit disoriented, not sure where he was, he found himself on a trail, and only a second later, Stella slammed into him, letting out a scream that felt like it was going to pierce his eardrum. He quickly covered her mouth with his hand and gave her a little shake. She stopped struggling the instant she realized it was him and threw herself into his arms.

He held her for a second, then looked around. “We have to keep going. He’s right behind us,” he said. “We need to get back to the village.”

“I don’t think this trail leads back to the village,” she said. “We’re going in the opposite direction, but I didn’t know what else to do. ”

“We’ll just have to go the long way,” he said. “Are you okay with running again?”

Stella looked behind her and nodded. He grabbed her hand, and they started down the trail. But he could hear Simon’s heavy footsteps on the trail not too far behind them. “Does he have a gun?” he asked, then groaned when Stella nodded. “That could be a problem. Let’s try to go faster. Maybe we can outrun him.”

They’d only gone a few hundred yards when the trees around them began to quiver, and the birds all took to the sky in a flutter of wings and a burst of noisy squawking. He sensed that something was about to happen but wasn’t prepared when a huge tremor made the ground begin to shake, and a huge wall of rock and dirt suddenly appeared behind them, blocking the way. Stella gasped and stumbled, but he steadied her and kept running up the trail, telling himself he’d figure out what was going on later.

***Stella***

Stella told herself not to look back; Keith didn’t seem alarmed that the ground had just swelled up behind them; he didn’t even seem to be alarmed by the strange glow in the vegetation on the side of the trail that seemed to be following them. But when they came to a fork in the trail, she realized with a start that it wasn’t following them, they were following it, and this time she took her eyes off the path to look over at Keith.

“I don’t know what it is either,” he said answering her questioning look. “But it’s helping us, and I think that’s all that matters.”

She nodded, too out of breath to speak, then focused on following the strange glow as it led them down one trail after another before veering into the trees. “I don’t think it’s leading us back to the village,” she said, pulling him to a stop. “Are you sure we should follow it?”

Keith stood staring at the light hovering in a big bush not far from them. “If we lead him back to the village, people could get hurt. This guy is desperate and clearly not as smart as we thought,” he said. “I don’t want to see anyone get hurt. Whatever it is might be right. Max should be on his way by now. We should keep Simon out here until he gets back with help.”

“Where do you think it’s leading us?” she asked, stepping off the path. I hope it’s somewhere safe. This island isn’t that big, and we won’t be able to hide for long.”

“I think we have to trust it knows where to go,” Keith said, following along behind her. “I wouldn’t have found you without it.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him but knew this wasn’t the time. She turned back to follow the glow leading them uphill. When they finally came to the top of the incline, both sweating and out of breath, it looked like they’d come to a dead end, but then she spotted an opening in the bushes. Grabbing Keith’s hand, she pulled him over to it and peered through, realizing that the strange noise she was hearing was a waterfall.

“Oh, look, isn’t it beautiful,” she said, stepping through the opening. “Did you know this was here?”

Keith stepped up next to her, still holding her hand. Behind them, the bushes started to shake, bending toward each other to fill the gap. Then vines began to grow, filling in the open space. Only a few minutes later, they were sealed into the little clearing with the waterfall, and they turned to look at each other, both shocked and a bit freaked out.

“What just happened? Did we just get locked in here?” she asked, stepping a little closer to him. “That was very strange, and I don’t know what to think. ”

“You wanted a safe place to hide,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, then putting his arm around her. “Max told me about this place. Not very many people know that it’s here. We should be safe until help comes.”

She looked around again, the beauty of the place slowly draining away her tension. “You’re right. I’ve just never had the jungle come to life around me,” she said, letting out a long sigh. “It takes some getting used to. What do you think happened to Simon?”

“My guess is he’s stumbling around trying to find us,” he said. “I wish there was a way I could get a message to Max and let him know that we’re safe and waiting for him.”

Just then a pigeon landed at their feet, a little leather wrapped package tied to its leg. Keith reached down and picked it up, then looked over at her. “Don’t ask me to explain,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve given up trying to a long time ago.”

After scribbling a short note to Max, they released the pigeon and watched it climb up over the trees and fly out of sight. “Well, I guess we should make ourselves at home,” he said, pulling her toward the waterfall. “We’re going to need some shelter and food if we’re going to be here all night.”

The giant palm fronds lashed together with vines gave them a roof over their heads, and moss and the delicate ferns that grew along the edge of the pond became their beds, which just left their growling stomachs. A little foraging yielded some fruit and a few nuts, but it was the silvery fish swimming in the warm water of the pool under the waterfall that caught their attention.

“That’s dinner,” Keith said, grinning at her. “Watch this…”

Before she could take a breath, a wave of power washed through her. Keith disappeared, replaced by the dragon she loved just as much. He dove into the water, then swam around for a few minutes before gently drifting to the bottom of the pool and becoming very still. As the second ticked by, she began to get worried and started to pull off her shoes to go in after him, but then he suddenly shot off the bottom, snatching up the two fish who had just drifted over him.

The fish landed at her feet, thrashing and jumping. She screamed, then began scooping them up and nudging them away from the bank. A second later, Keith came out of the water, shook himself off like a dog, and shifted back into his human form, a huge smile on his face.

“Dinner is served,” he said, putting his hands on his hips and puffing up his chest.

She laughed and looked down at the fish. “I’m not eating that raw,” she said. “I’m all for sushi, but this might be going a bit far.”

“Good thing I always carry some matches with me,” Keith said. “Let’s gather some wood and get a fire started, then you can show off your cooking skills.”

Her heart feeling like it was going to burst with love, she walked over to Keith and put her arms around him. “I knew that you’d come for me,” she said. “I never doubted it for a second. Thank you, Keith.”

“You mean everything to me, Stella. I should never have let you go in the first place, but I have a hard time telling you no,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “But you took care of yourself, you managed to escape all on your own. You’re one hell of a woman, Stella, and I’m lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have you, too,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I just want this to be over so we can get on with our lives.”

“And it’s going to be soon, I promise,” he said. “Max won’t let us down, and if it comes down to it…well, I will kill Simon to protect you. I was just hoping it wouldn’t come to that. ”

“Would you really do that?” she asked, a thrill rushing through her. “I shouldn’t be happy to hear that, but I am.”

“In a heartbeat,” Keith said. “You belong to me, Stella, and no one is going to take you away from me.”

The fish forgotten on the shore, she wrapped her arms around his neck, stretched up on her toes, and captured his mouth with hers. She put all the emotions churning inside her into the kiss, awakening the passion between them instantly, and she gave herself over to the power filling her, a need slowly building inside her that she knew only Keith could satisfy.