More Magic, More Problems?

If you had asked me last year if unicorns and dragons were real, I would have told you to talk to the geneticists in Scotland that bred a unicorn in a lab similar to the one that created a clone of a sheep. Now? I've met one. He's cute, charming, and handsome in a movie-star way. Like the werewolf, he can assume a human form. He has a college education. He's a veterinarian. Scott Ericsson was all of 5 foot 9 inches with a personality that fills the room. His curly blonde hair and laughing blue eyes are paired with a regal, aquiline nose and heart-shaped mouth. Any young girl's heart would flutter in his presence. Oh, and he smells like cotton candy or birthday cake. Definitely not my type.

"I can't believe I get to meet the Leader and the Heart!" he gushes. "I know that I will have to tell the whole Herd, but some of them are harder to find. Still, I am your contact, should you ever need our help."

"Rrrrrreaow?" Wolfgang jumps on my lap, watching Scott closely as I hand him a flash drive.

"You have a protector, I see." Scott can't help but smile at the little cat. "He is immune to my charm, which means that he is a magical creature, too." Scott demonstrates by reaching to pet Wolfgang and the cat quickly bats Scott's hand away. "See that? He's special!" To the cat, he says, "You're a very good protector. You can call on me, too. Anytime."

Scott returns his attention to me. "You say that your father was a Druid? Irish Celtic?"

"Yes, the Gilhoughleys," I reply.

"And why have we not met before now?"

"Evidently, I was in hiding with my family."

"Because of your werewolf side?"

"Lycan, actually."

"That explains SO MUCH!" Scott sighs. "Usually, I meet any local Druid families as soon as I sense them. Druids and Unicorns have a long, cooperative history. I find it interesting that I do not sense you. Do you have a connection to animals other than your protective friend here?"

"My goodness, no! All the cats in the neighborhood were afraid of me!" I confess. "I am more of a gardener. I have an affinity for herbs, and I cook mostly with the herbs I grow myself."

"I see." Scott seems to contemplate. "So you have more of a connection to dryads and other Fae than you would to me and my kind."

I decide to open up and tell Scott everything that I know about my past, my daughters, their father and my lineage. I watch as his eyes widen and his eyebrows rise into his hairline. "There's probably more to touch your curiosity on the flash drive. You have our phone number if, or when, you have any questions."

"I have been around for 300 years and I am impressed. I will definitely keep in touch." Scott again turns to Wolfgang. "You have your work cut out for you." Wolfgang coos in reply.

....

Edward could smell the dragon from a mile away - okay, maybe a mile and a half. Vanilla, smoke and sex assailed his senses. Even at 6'5", Edward felt dwarfed by this 7 foot tall, bronze skinned, shaved head, wrestler body. Dragons can adjust their body however they like, and Edward thought that this type of intimidation was unnecessary. Puck was laying on her customary perch on the corner of the desk, watching the stranger with a bored expression.

"Let me get one thing straight. You are not my Leader." Frederick Stone did not mince words. For someone with a life expectancy in the thousands of years, Edward thought he sounded impatient.

"Nor do I expect to be." Edward smiled at Frederick. "My mate is the Heart. I am part of her team. Would you like something to eat or drink?" Edward knew that he had not yet reviewed the video chat and was not above feeding this jackass to be more amiable to his mate... just not too amiable.

Frederick paused. "Sure, I could use a coffee."

"My stepdaughter makes wonderful blueberry scones...." Edward offered, 'with blueberries grown by my beautiful Brianna.'

"Fine." Frederick relented. "You werewolves understand the calories necessary to maintain a high metabolism." Frederick took two scones and took a bite while Edward poured two coffees.

Dragons, despite their time in hibernation, need an inordinate amount of calories once they are awake. Frederick's acidic personality suggests that he is a black dragon, an original family. Black dragons don't "spit acid" in dragon form, but in human form. Their powerful jaws are designed to chew and spit rocks. They are the perfect cave dwellers, with their dark skin and serpentine musculature, they can disappear in the dark. They only come out to hunt on moonless nights. On occasion, hapless farmers have misidentified them as UFOs.

"You can share this information with other dragons?" Edward wants to be sure that this information is shared with as many magical beings as possible.

"Have you spoken with the Fae?" Frederick was contacted by the Gilhoughleys, so he may not have known that we had spoken with the Council.

"Yes. The Council was present during this video call, just as they were present for our wedding. Brianna's parents were members of the Council before they had to go into hiding." Edward proceeded to give Frederick the short version of what happened at the Council meeting when Brianna found her name, her former lover, her daughter and her grandmother.

"That explains the big push." Frederick relents. "Your mate has that big an effect on all of us, just by her station in this life. You say she's half Lycan and half Druid? We have a cautionary tale that I will have to find for you. I seem to remember something about 700 years ago. The 'dual force,' I think it was called. She was to change magical creatures influence on one another." Frederick pauses. "If I am not mistaken, it was going to change the role of the humans in the magic community. The humans I knew were worried about it when they heard."

Frederick finished the second scone and reached for another. "Magical humans may have been the reason for the unusual flooding in Europe starting in the fall of the year 1314. It led to cold, wet winters which led to a great famine from 1315 to 1317. The Great Famine killed 10% of the human population. It killed 20% of the population of dragons." He took a long sip of the coffee that Edward had poured before he continued. "Your mate is in danger from many magical creatures and humans. I will share this information and help with the strategy of her protection. You will have to travel the world and bring your message abroad."

When Edward met Frederick's eyes, he knew that he had an ally. Whether by Brianna's magical growing skill or the sharing of the information, Edward didn't care. More friends meant more protection.