Tempting The Dragon. Karen Whiddon
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why’d you send him away?” Amber complained. “You know I want grandchildren. So far, you’ve done nothing to make me think I’ll ever have them.”
Though this was an old argument, Jade’s blush deepened. Children. She wanted kids of her own someday, too. Ruthless, she quashed down the quick flare of hope at the thought. “Please,” she murmured. “I just met him. Let’s enjoy our lunch. I’m sure he’ll show up at the house soon enough.”
Her mother nodded. “I hope you’ve been practicing your flirting skills because you’ll need to do something to keep him distracted.” It went without saying that Jade must protect Libby, the shape-shifting beast who lived in Forestwood Lake, from the prying eyes of outsiders. Especially a photojournalist.
Flirting skills. Right. Miraculously, Jade managed not to snort out loud. Instead, she dug in to her salad.
Finally, silence reigned while everyone focused on eating.
The house. Her home... Jade tried to picture the handsome man who’d visited her numerous times in her dreams actually being there physically. The thought made her shiver. She wondered if the house would accept him, then shook off the thought. Sometimes she thought of her family’s ancestral home as a living entity rather than just a building.
Stranger things had certainly happened. Hers was a family of shape-shifting werewolves who were Guardians to a mystical lake creature named Libby. Jade was the current Guardian, and ever since she’d been chosen, she occasionally happened to have the odd magical power. Her family turned a blind eye to these, preferring to pretend they didn’t exist, unlike the townspeople, who loved to watch and gossip.
Almost all of the town knew about Libby. Forestwood was made up of both Pack—shape-shifters who became wolves when they changed—and humans. The shape-shifters, like the rest of the Burnetts, preferred to ignore the magic. The humans, who had no idea that such a thing as shape-shifters even existed, accepted the fact of Burnett magic and considered Jade a witch. They appeared to be well aware that only Libby’s current Guardian had small magical powers.
They apparently were surprisingly okay with that. Sure, there was a lot of gossip and rumors. Women hated her due to her beauty, while men desired her. And made up odd, hurtful stories about her imagined sexual prowess.
None of it mattered, or so Jade told herself when a particular rumor caused her pain. The only matter of any importance was the way the entire town of Forestwood had silently pledged over the years to keep their lake creature a secret from outsiders. Jade more than anyone else appreciated that, since as Libby’s caretaker it made her job easier.
Except someone had apparently broken their pledge. Otherwise, how would the photojournalist have heard about her?
After lunch, everyone piled into Jade’s bright green SUV and they headed home. The sunlight shone through the vibrant green trees, dappling the ground with yellow. As she drove the winding roads heading home, Jade found herself holding her breath the same way she always did as she waited for the first sight of her family home.
Burnett House sat perched up on a hill, high enough to appear sitting sentinel over the entire town. Ancient trees cradled the Victorian-style structure and the corner lot had been fenced long ago with wrought iron. The original house had been built in 1803 by one of her ancestors, Floyd Burnett, who’d made it big in the steel industry. The Burnett family had lovingly occupied and taken care of the place, keeping it freshly painted and updated with the latest plumbing and wiring, not to mention granite countertops and modern appliances. The house had been featured in several magazines over the years.
Despite having lived there her entire life, the sight of the huge two-story home never failed to take Jade’s breath away.
“Almost there,” Amber chirped. Aware of Jade’s admiration of their home, the entire family always watched for her reaction. They found it fascinating, Opal had once told her. The rarity of a Burnett with such strong ties to the house could only be a good thing, especially since ancient lore believed the Guardian’s powers came from there.
Jade wasn’t so sure about that. She tended to believe power came from within. Also, she felt it had something to do with Libby, her charge. Otherwise, why would only the current Guardian be gifted?
One more curve, and there it was. Bathed in yellow warmth from the sun, at this time of day the house appeared to actually glow. Smiling dreamily, Jade sighed with pleasure as she pulled into the driveway. It was a good thing she loved this place so much. Because she, like all the women who’d been given the title of Libby’s caretaker, had been cursed to die if they ever tried to leave. Only the Guardians had to remain—the other women were free to come and go as they pleased.
Or so legend had it. There had been numerous stories over the years. Jade wasn’t entirely certain she believed them. Mostly, she tried not to think about it. While she didn’t like the idea of being trapped, she couldn’t imagine herself making a life anywhere else but Forestwood.
“Here we are,” Jade said as she parked, ignoring her family’s delighted expression as they watched her. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered when she’d see the handsome stranger from the café. Unable to help herself, she furtively looked around for another car. Seeing none, she relaxed a little, though she still felt on edge.
She couldn’t shake the sense that things were about to change. Her life, most specifically. She could only hope this would be a good thing.
Once inside the large house, her mother and her grandmother scattered. One of the other reasons Jade loved her home so much was its size. Not only the various hallways and rooms, but the hidden compartments and tunnels had always ensured the one seeking solitude had a place to hide.
Jade had taken advantage of that when she’d been younger. These days, her younger twin sisters, Pearl and Sapphire, were the ones who often hid from the constant noisiness of the family.
Currently, there was only one man in residence—Sam Burnett, Opal’s husband and Jade’s grandfather. These days, due to his worsening dementia, he mostly stayed in his room with the aide the family had hired to look after him. On his more lucid days, Sam would announce to anyone who would listen that he considered himself lucky. He’d always claimed Opal’s first name, which followed the Burnett tradition of naming their women after gemstones, had been a sign that she was his mate.
He was lucky to find her, the rest of the family had always thought. Lucky to have been one of the few men who’d managed to live in the house. Probably because he’d been born a Burnett. Men who’d married into the Burnett family frequently died an early death or the marriage ended in divorce. Most couldn’t deal with the Burnett women’s amazing beauty. More than one bitter divorce had resulted from a Burnett female attracting far more attention than her husband could handle.
And then there were those, like Jade’s father, who hadn’t even attempted to marry a Burnett.
Her aunt Emerald, never named Guardian, had married and moved out, though she and her husband, Jack, and their daughter still lived in Forestwood. Jade saw her cousin Di often enough, though Di’s brother, Jack Jr., had moved to California as soon as he graduated high school. He’d never returned, not even at Christmas or Thanksgiving.
The only ones who couldn’t leave the house were the Guardians. Or so Jade had been told. Like her mother before her, as long as Jade took care of Libby, if she were to marry, her husband would have to agree to reside here. Jade didn’t know too many men—okay, none, other than her grandfather, who was related—who would agree to live in a rambling old house with a bunch of women.
Travel could be prohibitive for those chosen. Even before she’d officially assumed the title of Guardian, but after Libby had named her Amber’s successor, Jade had only gone away once, back in high school during spring break with her friends. In two days she’d become violently ill, and not from alcohol consumption. Her mother had been dispatched to collect her. Once Jade