Where in the hell was he??

A soft rain had started to fall over the surrounding area, but Owlean didn't
notice. From her vantage point near the front of the cave, she stared out
into the leafy foliage hoping to finally catch sight of the dragonrider
coming back.

He damn well should have been back by now!! Shouldn't he?

How much longer was he going to keep on searching for the little bitch? How
long until he finally just gave up and got on with the plans they'd made?

Finally tired of standing by the entrance, she wondered back inside the cave
and went over to the small hearth and picked the coffee pot, pouring her
self another cup of the hot liquid. 

What was this? Her forth...fifth cup in the last three hours. Well she'd
stopped counting after awhile but the taste of the stuff was finally getting
to her.

Across the room the cup in her hand went. Smash! It broke as it hit the
wall. The sounds of the broken crockery did little to ease the red hot
temper building inside her.

Just wait, she swore. Just wait until he got back and decided he wanted her
naked body under his! Well not tonight!! No way! Tonight he could sleep
alone as a punishment for keeping her waiting here all alone for the whole
damn day. 

A sound. 

Did she hear something? 

Yes, there is was. Finally! She sighed as the sound came again. 

Dragon claws scrambling around on the rocky slide out front of the cave.
Heavy foot steps coming down the short hallway leading inside the cave. So!
He finally decide to come home. Well he'd not get a happy greeting from her,
nor a willing body tonight.

The blonde woman smiled, knowing the rider wouldn't take her saying no to
him. He'd just rip her closes off and take from her what he wanted weather
she was agreeable to him or not. He'd have her agreeing soon enough... she
loved it when he got rough with her. It made their sex better.

Footsteps coming... slowing...so he was back.

"It's about time you got back," she snapped, when she heard him enter the
cave, but did not turn to face him.  "I was getting tired of waiting for
you. Did you find them?"

"Oh we found them all right," a deep gruff voice said behind her. A voice
she didn't recognize. She turned quickly to see who was there, and nearly
fainted.

NO!! Not them!! How could they have found her!! Where was K'leev? What if he
came back now and found them here. He'd kill her if he found out what she
had done with his stupid brat.

"Your sick perverted little plan didn't work you heartless bitch," the tall
red-head said through gritted teeth as he face her, hands clenched into
fists at his side as if fighting to control the need he felt to use them on
her body. "The kids are both home safe in the Warren and we know everything
you did to them."

"Why if it isn't my daughter's protector?" Owlean's face wore a sneering
smile. "I'm surprised that you could tear yourself away from her long enough
to come here. Did you two have a fight...or did she go back to her mate and
leave you all by yourself?"

Her eyes, so like Shawnee's darted towards the exit.

"If you're looking for K'leev... he won't be showing up here anytime soon,"
the man told her. "He's back in the Warren about to be turned over to the
Landbound courts to face charges... Just as you will be when we return. The
kids are safe now and you'll never be able to hurt them or Shawnee ever again."

"Safe are they? Tell me dragonrider... did you find them before or after...
the girl found out what it was all about?"

"T'jellan NO!!" Derry shouted and grabbed the Wingleaders arm to keep him
from advancing inside to get at the woman. "No! She'll get hers in the
courts. Don't let her gloat you into doing something you'll regret now!"

"Who says I'll regret it?" he growled and shook off the other mans hand, but
made no move towards the woman. Derry was right. Why lower himself to this
bitches level.

'Because it would have felt good,' he thought, thinking of all the hurt and
pain this woman had put Shawnee and her siblings through. Not to mention Cill. 

For a moment as she stare at the tall red-head, Owlean knew what fear was.
For once she knew she had come up against a man who she couldn't turn aside
by offers of the use of her body. She knew fear as she watched the changing
emotions flash across his bearded face and knew this time there would be no
escape.

Another thought came to mind.

"How did you find me?" she asked and then wondered if K'leev had found out
what she had done and turned her in. Anger filled her at the thought.

"That's not important right now," T'jellan told her. He had himself under
control again and slowly started for her. "All you need concern yourself
with at the moment is to wonder how old you're going to be by the time you
finally get out of jail."

"What do you mean?" she asked backing away a step for each one he took
towards her. Even knowing it would do little good, the other three riders
had the exit covered and she knew she'd never get by them.

"We're here to take you back to face charges for kidnapping and for selling
children to a sex merchant. As well as anything else we can come up with,"
he took great delight in telling her as he drew up in front of her and
reached out to roughly grab her arm. "You won't ever have the chance to hurt
Shawnee or the kids again. After what you tried to do, we're going to see to
it that you'll be spending the rest of your miserable life in prison."

"NO!!" she shouted and raised her hand, fingers nails extended meaning to
rake the smug smile off of his face, but before she could connect, he hand
her hand caught in his and was savagely twisting her arm behind her back.

"Damn you!!" she swore and continued to struggle even after she knew she'd
been beat. Her knee came up, but he was expecting it and avoided it.

Derry and J'red moved in just then to help him, and it took all three men to
bound her hands behind her. For such a little thing, she had a lot of fight
in her. Finally T'jellan's hand came up and he slapped her.

It was enough to stun her, and after that the men were able to subdue her,
while the red-head's patrol partner stood near the entrance to the cave and
shouted encouragement's to them. 

"This might have been easier if we'd just let K'leev come back and deal with
her," Derry muttered, as he watched the taller man carry the woman out side
to where the dragons were waiting. "We should have just let him deal with
her like he wanted to after finding out what she did to Cill."

"No Derry," J'red told him as they followed T'jellan back outside. "Then we
would have been no better then she was. 
No she'll pay for what she's done. Why should we have allowed K'leev to kill
her, then she would have gotten off to easily."

"Maybe you're right," the young rider said and after making sure the woman
and T'jellan were mounted aboard the black dragon, headed to mount his own.
He couldn't wait to get back and tell Trinale and Saul the woman had been
found. Shawnee could feel safe now.

Shawnee
*********

She was cold when she woke. Her mind fuzzy, but she remembered everything.
Her hands moved to her stomach and cried a sign of relief when she found it
still as rounded as it had been that morning.

"Shawnee!" 

She turned to find a weary looking Saul sitting beside the bed she laid in.
Reaching out, she took the hand he held towards her. 

"They got the contractions to stop. Our baby is fine and so are you my
heart" he told her and she saw his relief shining in his eyes. 

"I was so scared love," she said softly. "If anything would have happened..."

"Please Shawnee love, don't think about it," he told her. "Clarissa said
everything was fine with both of you. Thank the Gods. You'll just need to
take it easy for the rest of your pregnancy."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she pulled on his hand until he was laying
on the bed next to her with his arms around her. 

"Clarissa thinks that with the mating flight and..." 

"It wasn't the mating flight," she told him, and looked away embarrassed as
she remembered how she had acted during it. She had never believed Saul
until just then when he'd told her what happened at that time. "I told you I
was fine after...Even while his dragon was... T'jellan was... very careful
with me. He didn't hurt me Saul."

His arms tightened around her, but she couldn't begin to guess at what he
was thinking. 

"Are you sure you're okay with what happened?" he asked softly. 

"I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, because you know I love you and only you with
all my heart," she squeezed his hand. "And you know how much I wanted it to
be you and Fayloth who won Doshy's first time... But since it didn't turn
out that way... I'm glad it was T'jellan and Grunth instead of anyone one
else. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, and he didn't. He was very careful..."

She didn't tell him about what happened afterwards, nor did she tell him of
their talk. She owed that must to the man who'd always been her friend...
and Saul's. 

"It was the shock of seeing *her* Saul. That's what caused it. I was fine
until I saw Aradia..." she looked up into his deep blue eyes and saw concern
there. "I did see her ...didn't I? I mean I know I did... she was right
there in front of us when we came out of Cill's room. I know it was her, but
how could it have been. I saw her body in that cave?"

"It was... but it wasn't..." he said slowly, still finding it hard himself.
"The girls name is Xanthia. I found out later that she just arrived at the
Warren a day or so ago."

"But she looks just like Aradia," Shawnee frowned, and shivered. It was all
so unreal. "Who.. is she?"

"You know...I'm not really sure," he admitted and then his lips kissed her
forehead. "But right now we have something else to talk about. You're mother
was found and brought back to the Warren."

She turned in his arms to look at him, her aqua eyes opening in panic when
she heard his news. "Ojean!?!" 

"Is safe," he assured her. "I had Fayloth ask Doshy not to tell him, and to
ask the other dragons nor to say anything either. I thought it best until
she and K'leev are taken to the courts tomorrow."

"The other dragons?" she asked puzzled, but feeling relieved her brother
would be spared the news of that woman being here. "But why would you have
them be quiet."

"Because Sweet Shawnee... Ojean, we've found can talk to not only Doshy, but
to several of the other dragons as well. He has a limited range right now,
but they feel it'll improve as he grows older."

She turned back and resettled herself in his arms. 

"What is going to happen to Owlean now?" hate began to fill her heart when
she thought of the woman. No more would she ever refer to the woman as
mother again. As of now they had no mother. There was only herself and her
siblings ...and Saul and their child. They were her family. Along with Barry
and Byrin.

-----------------------  
 
Kris: I'll let Saul explain to Shawnee what's gonna happen to dear mommy
dearest....

Arlene: Shawnee will likely be wanting to talk to Merissa sometime the next
morning.... She'll need to talk to someone who understands her feelings
about her mother....

****Submitted by: *****

Barbara (a.k.a.

Shawnee & Doshayne 
Owlean