“Nope, just that it has to do with the baby Nessies. I hope Reif’s sea dragon didn’t have a miscarriage.” Kieran fell quiet, biting his bottom lip nervously.
“Do you think Ian and Colton should come with us?” asked Logan.
“I don’t know. I hate to get Ian up so early, especially since he’s carrying triplets.”
Logan pulled out his phone, dialed his brother and when Colton answered, he explained what was happening. After hearing his reply, Logan hung up and said, “Ian and Colton are coming. They’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Nodding, Kieran was relieved, especially since his spirit didn’t know what the problem was. Placing his hand over where their squirt was growing, Kieran could only imagine Brian’s anguish if Reif’s beast was losing the babies. Just as the car drove up, Kieran saw Ian and Colton emerge from the hotel, zipping up their jackets against the cold morning air.
Once everyone was seated, Logan told the driver, “Loch Ness Marina, and hurry, please.” Then, after seeing the worry on his mate’s face, he pulled Kieran onto his lap, wrapping his arms around him tightly. There was silence in the car during the drive; for once, Kieran was speechless and all he could do was hope they’d get there in time.
~/~/~/~/~
Logan felt someone shaking him and then sensed the car had stopped. Opening his bleary eyes, he gazed out the window at the wisps of fog still floating around the boats.
“Sorry to wake you sir, but we’re here,” someone said. Shifting his eyes to the enforcer who had awakened him, Logan nodded. Then, turning to Kieran, he said, “Babe, wake up,” and tapped both Colton and Ian on the shoulder. “C’mon, guys, we’re here.” Opening the car door, Logan’s head was quickly cleared by the inrushing cold air.
“Macushla?” Kieran asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Do you see Brian?”
“No, he must be on his boat.” Climbing out of the car, Logan clasped Kieran’s hand, leading them all to the slip where Brian’s boat was docked.
There was no sign of life outside the boat; only a creaking noise coming from the open door leading to the cabin as it swung back and forth in the early morning breeze. Guided by his spirit, Kieran jumped aboard and headed down below where he found a near-frozen Brian staring at a letter. “Macushla, come quick!” Grabbing a blanket from one of the aft berths, Kieran threw it around the sea serpent’s shoulders and began to vigorously rub his arms.
Now, with all of them present, Ian quickly assessed the situation. “Colton, more blankets. Logan, I need something hot for him to drink. Kieran, find Reif.”
Hearing Ian’s last command, Brian looked up from the note he was clutching in his fist and his eyes found the Shaman. “He’s gone and he’s never comin’ back. He does nae want our babies.”
“What do you mean?” Kieran said, prying the piece of paper from the sea serpent’s fingers and, after quickly reading it, passed it on to Ian. “You listen to me, Captain. I don’t believe this for a second. Something happened to Reif and we must find him. I know he wanted the babies so don’t try to tell me he didn’t.” Placing his hands on Brian’s back, they heated up, drawing all the sadness and hopelessness out of him and replacing it with love.
Ian wrapped the extra blankets around Brian and held a mug of hot tea to his lips. “Drink.”
Closing the door to the cabin, Logan turned on a heater, then took the note from Ian, read it and proclaimed it “bullshit.” Last night at the party, he and Reif had talkedabout the beast’s pregnancy and how excited Reif was about his impending fatherhood. Now, less than eight hours later, Reif supposedly had changed his mind. “Brian,” said Logan softly, “I agree with my mate that this note is nonsense, but even if you want to ignore our opinion, you can’t ignore our spirit’s warning that the baby sea dragons are in danger.”
Stricken upon hearing that, Brian cried out. “Ye mean he’s gonna get rid of our babies?”
“Hell no!” exclaimed Logan. “That’s not what I mean at all. Something has happened that has put Reif, his beast and the babies in danger. You have to tell us what happened last night. When did he give you this note?” he asked, slapping it down on the galley table.
Sitting beside the sea serpent, Kieran softly murmured, “Brian, will you trust me?”
Listening to the same words the Shaman had spoken to Reif, Brian remembered how he urged his mate to do so.Can I do anythin’ less?Slowly he nodded, feeling the hope Kieran was sending him.
“Thank you,” Kieran said. “Now, after the party, you and Reif went to your boat, is that right?”
“Ay. We were goin’ to stay here while we searched for a house.”
“Okay, then I assume both of you made it here.”
“Ay, we did.”
“Then what happened?” asked Kieran, keeping his voice low.
“Reif was goin’ to unpack while I washed up for bed.”
“And…”
“When I came out of the head, he was gone, leavin’ the note behind.”
Colton was reading it while Brian was talking and something wasn’t right. Carefully examining it, it finally hit him what it was. “Guys, look at the handwriting. Does it look familiar?”
