“Thank you again, that is awesome. I will probably do a bit of a run in the early hours of the morning before I do anything else, try to get myself back into a routine, but then after I’ve had a shower and some breakfast I will definitely take you up on your offer. Good night, Doctor.” I bowed my head to him slightly in jest and his chuckle was cut off by the sight of my palm on my door handle. I looked down to see what he saw and saw my door, in the immediate vicinity of my hand, glowing.
“Damn you intrigue me. Good night Miss Kailani.” And with that, the doctor turned and briskly walked into his own cottage next door to mine. I looked down at my hand one more time and waved it around the door and then over the exterior wall, watching the glow light up and diminish depending on where my hand was.
“It’s got something to do with entrance and exit points. But what is it?” I thought, entering my new little home and locking the door behind me.
Chapter 6
The next morning I was up before dawn, had my hair pulled into yet another ponytail and was wondering how exactly I was going to do my morning run with workout leggings on but no running shoes. The running shoes that Stephanie had picked up for me the day before were a size too small.
“Well, I guess you try it barefoot like you do on the beach at home and see how far you get.” I muttered, stepping out my door into the predawn stillness and heading towards the front of the estate. My plan was to run as much of the perimeter where the wall was as I could and finish off at the cliff’s edge. I wasn’t sure what it was about that ledge that drew me the way it did but maybe if I timed it right, I’d get there as the sun was coming up.
Taking a deep breath to prepare myself, I set off at a light jog once I saw the stone wall and gradually, after almost two weeks of no exercise, I felt my body wake up and my muscles started to work in my legs again. The grass was cold and wet from dew but otherwise obstacle free so I had no problem being barefoot and while the estate was a lot bigger than I had realized, I finally arrived at the cliff’s edge right on schedule. The first sliver of light was just appearing on the horizon in front of me and I stood there, propped up on my knees, trying to recover my breath as I watched the inky blackness of the water start to lighten.
As I watched the black waves roll towards the shore and the sun slowly rise, I felt the same yearning to fly that I had lived with almost my entire life and I realized with a bit of a start, that I could. If I wanted to. No one was up yet, the cottages had been dark when I’d jogged by and the only life I had seen had been Alice and Will in the kitchen starting breakfast. But there was a line of trees between me and them so if I stayed low, I could go undetected.
“No time like the present to figure out how this works, right?” I took a deep, calming breath as I closed my eyes, shook my hands out to get rid of any nervous jitters and tried to relax my mind. I had no idea how to shift forms and felt slightly foolish just standing there, but when I opened my eyes again and watched the rhythm of the waves, I felt it. Nothing spectacular, just a warming sensation inside me. Then my arms, legs, shoulders and back started to tingle, my stomach did one little flip-flop and once again, a flash of light hid my transformation from human to dragon.
Now, looking down at myself I could actually see my body, I could see all four thick, muscular legs that ended in large paws with very sharp talons. I looked sideways and stretched out a wing and was amazed at how wide my reach was. I would guess, without a tape measure to be accurate, that I had a twenty or thirty-foot wingspan. My neck and belly, from what I could see, was ribbed and significantly lighter in color than the scales that covered the rest of my body, but it wasn’t light enough yet to see just what color either of those areas were. My tail, which was curled around my back legs, was about five feet long. So Edan had been right when he’d compared me to the size of a bus.
Looking out at the waves again, I felt the openness call to me and I opened my wings again, gave a few short flaps and I was airborne, soaring over the water, staying close to the surface but far enough above the waves that I didn’t get wet, and I closed my eyes and just relished the feel of the air rushing past me. I gave in to my inner child and executed a few somersaults, and then giving up on the idea of staying dry, I dove into the deep, cold water and swam underwater for as long as I could then I soared upward again, water streaming off my wings as I gained altitude. By now the sun was up and I wanted to get back to my ridge before someone saw me so I dropped down closer to the ground and came to a rest right where I’d started from. As I folded my wings closer to my body, preparing to change back, I glanced towards the trees and thought I caught a glimpse of the doctor as he walked into them, back towards the residences.
Once back in my human form again, I twisted my wet hair up into a bun and wrapped my ponytail elastic around it as I walked quickly back to my cottage for a dry pair of clothes and then I headed towards the main house. I walked into the kitchen and was greeted by the smell of coffee, tea, bacon, baked beans, toast and saw a large silver pot of porridge on the stove.
“Good grief, you people like your breakfast, don’t you?” I said teasingly, accepting the coffee that was handed to me. Hugh and Ciara sat at the island together, the doctor was in the corner chatting with Alice and Madeline over a hot cup of tea and his gaze met mine when I turned in his direction but he looked away again as though he hadn’t just seen an eighteen or twenty-foot dragon flying in the early morning sky.
“Well, it is the most important meal of the day.” Will chided me, plucking my coffee out of my grasp before I could even take a sip, and replaced it with a steaming bowl of porridge. He pointed me in the direction of the island where a bowl of golden raisins, brown sugar and a small pitcher of milk sat. I smiled sweetly at him, transferred my hot bowl to one hand and took my coffee back with the other before going to sit with the other two.
“Good morning.” I smiled warmly at Ciara and her father-in-law and they smiled back, both of them enjoying their own bowls of porridge.
“Sleep well last night, lass?” Hugh asked finally and I nodded earnestly.
“Yes, thank you. The bed in the cottage is surprisingly comfortable and the bedding and things that Stephanie picked up for me yesterday are wonderful. Makes it feel a little more like home.” I told him and he smiled, pleased to hear that my first night in the cottage had gone well.
“I saw you out for a run this morning along the wall out by the road. You must be in pretty good shape to be able to manage the full length of it the way you did.” Ciara said enviously and I laughed lightly and grimaced.
“I’m a bit out of practice so I’m afraid I might feel it tomorrow morning. But it felt good so I’ll try to stay on top of my runs as long as I’m here.”
“Did Edan say anything to you before he left about how he wanted to make this place safer? Because with a wall like we’ve got around the perimeter, and a locked gate across the lane, I can’t imagine it needing anything more.” Ciara asked in interest and I paused as I thought about how to answer her. Edan and I hadn’t talked security at all yet, just that he had a gut feeling that it might be needed, and even Hugh had mentioned a feeling of something coming but how could I explain that to her? Without making us all sound crazy and more than a wee bit paranoid?
“Not really. I think my little episode the first night kind of distracted him. What he did tell me though was that he had a gut feeling that something extra might be needed, even if it was just the added presence of an extra person on the estate grounds. Someone who could be like a second shadow to you and your babies, as well as an extra set of hands.” My tone was thoughtful as I tried my best to explain as truthfully as possible to which Ciara raised an eyebrow.
“So he wants you to be my undercover bodyguard, like how you said you were with celebrities where you come from. Is that right?”
“Yes. I’m not sure how long he wants me to stay but I so love this country that it really isn’t an inconvenience.” My gaze caught Hugh’s and he nodded in agreem
ent but before he could say anything, Will shoved a plate under my nose and I closed my eyes and inhaled the delicious smell of cooked bacon, a fried egg, baked beans, a fried tomato and something a little earthy that I couldn’t identify. I looked down at my plate and raised my eyebrows quizzically at the black disc-shaped thing on my plate, nestled in with the other foods.
“What is that?” I asked slowly and everyone stopped to look at me with varying degrees of amusement.
“Black pudding.” Alice told me, biting back a laugh at the look on my face and I did my best not to recoil.
“Black - pudding? Isn’t that… pig’s blood and stuff?” at my turned-up nose the two chefs laughed heartily and Dr. Andarsan and Madeline finally sat down at the island with us.
“Aye. Pigs’ blood, fat, barley, oats and some spices, all mixed together into a sausage.” Will rattled off the basic ingredients and I tried my absolute best to hide the shiver that raced down my spine at his words.
“Sounds….delightful.” I swallowed hard and looked back down at my plate, wondering how much I would offend everyone if I chose not to eat it. Why couldn’t they have a dog or something that I could feed under the table?
“Eat around it for now. Maybe you’ll work up the nerve to try it before you’re done.” Ian – Dr. Andarsan, since he was currently on duty - winked at me and I eyed him a bit doubtfully.
“We’ll see.”
“Would ye like some ketchup with it, lass?” Will asked, a teasing note in his voice and I closed my eyes for a brief second, praying they didn’t give anything away while Ciara was sitting there and that was when I decided I would have to bite the bullet. Or in this case, the black pudding, if only to save this conversation before it went somewhere I didn’t want it to go.
“That might help, thank you.” I smiled at him gratefully while giving him a warning look with my eyes and he realized his almost-blunder. He quickly went to the fridge, pulled out a bottle of red ketchup and hastily put it on the table in front of me. Hugh choked back a laugh at the look on my face as I put a small puddle of ketchup on the side of my plate and then cut a small - I’m talking pint size small - piece of black pudding and stabbed it with my fork. I dipped the tiny morsel into the ketchup and then closed my eyes, wanting to avoid everyone’s expectant gaze. The interesting thing was, as I was closing my eyes, the last thing I had seen was Dr. Andarsan looking away. It was like anything that could embarrass me or make me uncomfortable, he did his best to offer me privacy, even if all he could do was avert his own gaze.
I took a nibble of the meat on my fork and chewed thoughtfully. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected, it was mealy so it broke up easily in my mouth and I nodded carefully; if not in overall approval, I could at least admit that it wasn’t bad. Ciara giggled at the look on my face as I chewed and Hugh sipped his tea, the look on his own face one of amusement and a bit of agreement.
“Did the ketchup help, Lani? I can’t say I’ve ever really tried it.” Ciara asked and I nodded quickly.
“I’m sure it tastes fine without, but for a foreigner like me, ketchup helps ease us into new foods.” I shrugged helplessly and the young woman laughed. Dr. Andarsan was back to looking at me and he was just as amused as everyone else. After that, breakfast went by pretty smoothly and soon we were finishing the dregs of our coffee or tea and stacking up the dirty dishes.
“Miss Ciara, before I start my rounds, would you care to join me in the parlor so I can give you a quick checkup?” Dr. Andarsan asked as we all stood up and when she nodded and turned away to leave the room, he glanced at me and gave me a slight nod, letting me know it was still okay to go to his cottage to use his computer.
“When you’re done, I’m locking myself in my studio for a few hours. I want to get my latest painting done. Alice, would you be a dear and maybe make me a pot of tea and leave it on my side table? Thanks!” Her voice faded as she rounded the corner and was out of sight.
“Can I help with the dishes or anything?” I asked Alice and Will as they started to clear away the dirty breakfast dishes and Will chuckled.
“No lass, don’t be daft. You carry on with whatever ye had planned for the morning, Alice and I have this under control.”
“Besides, seeing your face when you tried the blood pudding was worth it!” Alice cackled at the memory and I stuck my tongue out at her as I headed for the door.
“Very funny.”
“Lass, where are you off to? Back to your cottage?” Hugh asked, rising off his own stool and following me out the door and I looked over my shoulder at him as we stepped outside.
“I’m going to do some internet research on Dr. Andarsan’s laptop while he’s working.” I said honestly and saw his face fall in disappointment.
“Aye, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The lad is clearly sweet on ye and after seeing the two of you together playing checkers last night, I should have expected as much. Just remember, if ye need anything, ye can always come find me.” He started to walk away and I felt instantly bad about hurting his feelings.
“Hugh, wait!” I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him to a stop and he turned to me, looking a little wounded. “You have been an immeasurable help to me since I got here, even when I didn’t realize I needed it. You have been a friend and mentor since I learned what I am and I can’t thank you enough for that.” I said earnestly and he smiled slightly and patted the hand that still gripped his sleeve so he didn’t walk away.
“But,” I paused as I thought about how to continue and finally I sighed, “to be brutally honest, there aren’t many places I can go around here without feeling like some kind of a side-show, even if no one says anything to me. To you and the others in the house, I am a walking, talking fairy-tale come to life. And I get that, believe me. Sometimes that’s how I feel. But with Ian - Dr. Andarsan, I mean - I’m a young woman first and foremost. He is bound by an oath to help his patients and to keep their secrets and his ability to look at me and see me is something I desperately need. I don’t want to hurt your feelings or make you think that I don’t appreciate everything that you’ve done for me, I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. And I hope that you will continue to help me as I need it.” I finished my heartfelt speech and Hugh chuckled when I was done.
“Aye lass, ye have nothing to worry about in that regard. I will do anything I can to help ye and I understand your feelings. I guess I get a little excited when I think about your….abilities…. and that may put ye in a somewhat awkward position. I’ve just grown up listening to the stories and waiting, hoping that one day I’d get lucky enough to meet a Williams dragon myself and I have. And not only that, I’ve seen ye in both forms and that just tickles the kid in me pink.” He blushed faintly under his thick beard and I laughed and gave him a hug, kissing his cheek.
“Thank you for understanding, Hugh. And I promise, the next time I change, I’ll try to let you know ahead of time.” With that, he squeezed my hand and then waved as I trotted off in the direction of the cottages.
⧫⧫⧫
When Ian finally reached his cottage, it was almost noon and he was holding a Tupperware container with a few scones in it that he’d managed to steal from the kitchen. He secretly hoped that I was still inside, if I had even gone inside in the first place, and he was rewarded when he opened his door to see me still sitting at his laptop, my back to the door. I was sitting cross-legged on his desk chair, staring at the bright monitor screen, my hair out of its ponytail but still contained, piled on top of my head and held in place by my hand. He considered the fact that my hair was out of its restraining elastic band as a sign that I was relaxed and at ease in his home and he tried to soak in the view for a second or two before I realized he was there.
“Knock, knock.” He said lightly as he closed the door behind himself and I turned in surprise, letting go of the pile of hair on top of my head, thus letting it spill down around my shoulders in a long brown sheet, and Ian remembered to keep his mouth shut instead of lettin
g it fall open in awe as he watched all of that hair frame my pretty face and eyes.
“Oh! Hi there! I’m sorry, I had hoped that I would be gone before you got back so you could have your place to yourself.” I said apologetically, starting to uncross my legs and put my feet on the floor to stand up but he put his hand up to stop me with a smile and shake of his head.
“No need to get up, please. I brought some biscuits from the kitchen in case you were getting hungry.” He went to his little kitchenette, his cottage was very similar in layout to my own, and got a few plates off a shelf before putting the kettle on to boil. While the water heated, he washed his hands, put the scones on the two plates and brought one over, setting it on the desk beside my hand.
“How is your search going?” he asked in interest, going back over to his boiling kettle to make some tea and I snorted, scrolling down the web page I was on without really even seeing it anymore.
“Well, I’m pretty sure that whoever runs the internet behind the scenes now thinks you’re crazy and convinced you’re a dragon, and for that I’m sorry. There is nothing on here, no big surprise I suppose. Mostly it’s videos about kids playing video games and how they acquired their game-dragon, or a few who think that if you say a particular chant at midnight over candles during a full moon, you can turn yourself into a dragon. But nothing that I would even remotely consider taking seriously.” I said tiredly, smiling in thanks when he set a cup of tea down beside my little plate and he chuckled.
“Well, like you said, ye can’t be too terribly surprised. You are what one might call ‘one-of-a-kind’.” He assured me and then blushed faintly at his admission. I bit my lip to hide my smile, remembering Hugh’s words earlier this morning about the doctor being sweet on me, and instead I took a nibble of the delicious scone. “What about your illuminating touch? Anything there?” he tried to redirect our trains of thought back to my internet research and I sighed heavily.
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