The Dragon's Witch Mate

CHAPTER: 10

{Vienna took all the girls to buy clothes and have lunch together. When Tiara and Ziva asked if they could go to the pet store after they finished eating their burgers, Vienna nodded. "Sure girls, when we are done, we can go look."

Clover smiled at that. "Think you will finally give in and let us get a cat, Vienna?"

Zara shook her head. "Not a cat. How about a big dog?" She looked at Vienna. "They are loyal and can guard the house when we are not home."

Vienna was happy to see Clover smiling, and felt a responding smile. "I will think about it." She then started to gather the trash as everyone started to leave. Vienna suddenly heard her Mom's voice yelling in her head, "Run Vienna, run; he has found you. Girls run now."

Looking up, she saw all her sisters were looking at her as if they had heard it too. Grabbing Tiara and Ziva's hands, Vienna started to run toward the garage. Zara and Clover followed, bumping into people as they went.

"Vienna did you just hear Mom?" Zara asked worriedly.

"Zara, let us talk about it later. Let us get to the car, okay?" Panting, almost tripping when Ziva fell, Vienna helped her, and as they ran out of the exit toward the garage, she heard the growl of an animal coming from it and looked in both directions. Vienna had a feeling as well as a pull to go to the right, and she ran in that direction.

Pushing the girls in front of her to keep going, she looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar shadow running behind them. Tiara looked over her shoulder, screaming before she fell. Zara and Vienna helped her up and Tiara yelled, "Whatever you do, look straight ahead; don't look back."

Turning up the sidewalk, not seeing any cars, they ran across the street. Hearing the pounding of feet coming closer and the growl getting nearer, Vienna felt something hit her in the back and she fell, crying out as the cement scraped her knees and she hit the side of her face. Hearing another growl and feeling something land on her back, she yelled, "Run, don't stop."

"Mine." The creature growled into her ear. Feeling its breath on her neck, she struggled to get away and screamed when she felt his mouth open to bite.}  

 Sitting up in bed panting, Vienna looked at the clock and realized that it was still the middle of the night and that she did not have to be up for a few more hours. She laid her head back down and sighed.

Wondering why her dreams were haunted by this strange creature, she closed her eyes. Feeling more tired now than when she originally went to bed, Vienna found herself staring at the ceiling as her breathing evened out. Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer to be allowed to sleep in peace, with no more disturbing dreams, before she drifted off again.                                                                                                                                                                                                *******

Liam spent most of the day following Vienna. Watching her at the grocery store, he found himself wanting to step in and tear the manager to shreds. He had to fight back a smile when she turned him down. When he finally walked by the guy, his dragon was practically fighting to come out, to let the greasy little man understand that he need not bother about Vienna.

Following from a safe distance, he watched the interaction between Vienna and Clover. With his hearing even at that distance, he was still able to hear the conversation between them. Messaging Elvis, he asked what had happened to make Clover cry?   

The girls stayed home that night, and Liam watched from his car until shortly after midnight. He circled the neighborhood, trying to detect anything out of place. Letting his dragon come up to the surface, heightening his senses, he reached out, trying to detect if there was anything out of the ordinary. Finally satisfied that the girls were safe, he headed home, hoping that Stuart and Elvis were able to find something out about the man who was watching him and Vienna.                                                                                                                                                                         ***********

When Sunday came, Vienna spent it with the girls, taking them on a trip to the mall, as she had promised, and convincing them to spend the rest of the day at 'The Gardens at Lake Merritt.'

Watching the younger girls run around and chase butterflies, she saw Zara in the corner with a few girls she knew from her school. Vienna looked around and found Clover sitting by the rose bushes. Quietly walking up behind her, she looked over Clover's shoulder to see her drawing the rose in detail. Watching her for a moment, she was careful not to distract her as she started to draw one of the fountains behind the rose, drawing it lightly as a backdrop.

Walking around the garden, Vienna saw a section that was dedicated to just orchids. Noticing the different kinds of orchids, she stopped and read a sign about how the number of species of orchids is double the number of bird species and four times as many as mammal species.

Stepping around the corner, she saw a small collection of delicate purple orchids that had slowly started to wither. Reaching out and gently touching them, Vienna caressed one of the withering flowers and the flower seemed to open up and come back to life. Vienna quickly jerked her hand back. She looked at the purple orchid and leaned in to touch the plant again. Seeing the plant's stalk slowly stretch up, and the flowers almost looking as if they were reaching for her, she looked around, wondering if anyone else had seen it, or if she had just imagined it.

Drawing in a deep breath, Vienna was curious if she could make it happen again. Seeing a small withering plant, she walked over to touch it, just as Ziva and Tiara ran around the corner and right into her legs.

Almost falling over, she laughed and held them to her. "Hey, you two, where are you going?" she asked them.

Giggling, Tiara answered, "We were looking for you, Vienna. We want money to throw in the wishing fountain with the little Princess Cinderella."

Vienna smiled as two of them pulled her toward the middle of the gardens. The little princess, huh?"

"Come on Vienna, we have to hurry, or our wishes would never come true," Ziva said while pulling her by her hand.

Picking up the pace, and shaking her head, Vienna whispered under her breath, "When did wishes get a time frame?"

When they got to the fountain, Vienna laughed as she saw the princess they were referring to. It was a stone fountain that had a young girl in the middle sitting on a toadstool, holding a frog in her hands, and kissing it. Vienna smiled to herself as she reached into her purse and grabbed some change to give the girls.

Handing each of the girls some loose change, Vienna laughed as they ran to the fountain. Both girls closed their eyes and held coins close to their chests before throwing them in.

Vienna then took them both by the hands, and they walked back to see what the older girls were up to. As they passed by the orchids to go get Zara and Clover, Vienna looked over and saw the purple orchids had come back to life, stretching and thriving as if they had been healthy the entire time. Shaking her head, she saw Zara bidding her friends goodbye and Clover gathering her drawings.

The rest of the day at the house went smoothly. The girls finished up any homework they had and helped with some of the housework before Brian came over for dinner. The girls spent most of the evening telling him about everything that he had missed in the last few weeks.

Vienna let the girls stay up a little later than usual to play games with Brian, and Vienna laughed when Tiara beat him at a game of chess. They had their dinner early, and then Brian made plans for their next lunch together, as was usual, she locked the door behind him as he left. Tucking the girls in bed, Vienna sighed before she headed to bed and silently prayed that her dreams would not be tormented by nightmares, again.