by Juniper Hart
“He wants to kill you because he’s jealous?”
“Not quite. Roland fought us all the time. Not physically, but he tried to sabotage us. Then, one day, he changed. He said he wanted to make amends. Then, we figured out why. He’d met a woman named, Marilla. He was head-over-heels for her.” He paused for a second, his eyes were looking at the past. “He met Marilla after I met you. On the night of our wedding, Marilla came to kill me, but you blocked her to save me, and instead, she killed you.” He paused again, tears reaching the brims of his eyes, but they didn’t spill over. “You sacrificed yourself. I killed Marilla out of rage. Roland never forgave me. He thinks that if he can’t find love, I shouldn’t be able to have you in my life.”
She stared at the radio. His story felt right. The dream. It seemed to fit—the scream and the flash of fiery, red scales. But why?
“Why did Marilla try to kill you? Wait, hold on. How could she kill you? Aren’t you immortal?”
“Dragons are immortal. That means we have no natural life span. You can kill us though. Back in that day, you had to get sterling silver mixed with bronze and bathe it in the sap of a Eucalyptus tree. Don’t ask me how dragon hunters figured that out! Nowadays, there are all kinds of ways to do it, from powerfully charmed steel to special poisons.”
“Why doesn’t this Ronald guy just find Marilla in the modern day?”
“Well, Marilla was just using him to get close to my brothers and me. She was a Slayer. He might have looked her up in the past. I don’t know. I heard Roland found her in the next life, but she wasn’t a Slayer and she had no interest in him. It broke Roland.”
“Why doesn’t your aunt keep him under control?”
“She can’t control him. Roland’s hasn’t talked to the family ever since you died.”
“One-thousand years?” she clarified.
“Yup.”
He started to get off the road towards a hotel. “We’re going to stop for the night. We’ll be back at the palace by tomorrow.”
“Palace?”
“Oh, just wait. You’re going to love it.”
“Why don’t we just keep driving? Are you tired?”
She couldn’t imagine being tired. She’d just been attacked by some sort of brutish creatures called orcs, whatever that meant. Her brain was running in overdrive. She felt like she had just chugged twelve cups of coffee. Speaking of that, what would happen to her shop? She shrugged. Her life was more important than the coffee shop, so it would have to wait.
If what he was saying was true, she had been someone else in a different time. Ember had pined for her for so long. He wouldn’t give up now, and she was starting to like that. There was a part of him that still scared her and kept her on her heels, but there was another part that she wanted to get to know much better.
So, she just sat back as they drove up to the hotel. The beautiful hotel looked more like a castle, with towering columns out front. Ember drove up to the valet and gave him the keys.
They entered the hotel together.
5
The inside of the hotel was about as swanky as Sarah had expected. It was pristine and well-kept with attention paid to every fine detail, such as the intricately decorated fireplace to the plush blue and gold couches in the lobby. A beautiful glass chandelier hung in the foyer.
Sarah let out a little gasp when she stepped inside. “Wow…”
“Glad you like it,” Ember said.
“I feel so out of place.”
He brought her in close to his muscular body. “Don’t. You stand out everywhere you go.” He frowned. “In my head, that was a compliment. I meant to say, you’re beautiful, and you stand out in a good way. You fit in perfectly.”
He gave her a mischievous grin. It was enchanting. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable, like she should look away or something from his dominating, loving gaze. But she couldn’t. She just stared back into his warm eyes as he stroked her jawline.
“It’s good to have you back with me,” he said gently. “I’ve missed you. I think about you every single day. Hardly a minute passes that I don’t wish you were by my side again. Every horrible moment without you only made you more and more beautiful. You are a goddess among other women.”
She melted.
She wanted to like, or even love, this dashing stranger. He was tall, handsome, powerful, and obviously rich. But then again, all her senses warned her against jumping in too quickly. She still was not sure about his role in her reoccurring nightmare. He’d told her about this Marilla character, sure, but could she just take his word for it?
She kept flipping back and forth. Trust him. Be wary. Trust him. Be wary. She simply couldn’t make up her mind, which was rare for her.
Normally, she made a split-second decision about something or someone. Sometimes she was right and sometimes she was totally wrong, but she never had been half-and-half on anything before. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She couldn’t decide if she liked sweet and sour sauce. Pick a damn flavor and stick with it!
He gave her a warm smile and pulled away to get the key from the front desk. She stayed back, watching him. It was crazy to think that under his perfect body was a dragon. She had seen him transform in front of her own eyes. She wasn’t done entertaining the possibility that she had endured a mental breakdown and that she was in a hospital somewhere. Ember didn’t exist. Orcs didn’t. Roland didn’t. She was just in a bed with an IV sticking into her arm. If it was all fake, she had one heck of an imagination. All that practicing as a child had paid off.
As he walked towards her with the room keys in hand, she took the opportunity to really look at him. Sarah wanted to see if anything about him was familiar, since he claimed to know her so well. Also, he was really hot, and if she were being honest with herself, she just liked looking at him.
He was taller than her, which wasn’t terribly impressive. Everyone was taller than her. The most interesting part of him was that he was built like a diver—lean, strong, and obviously defined. She’d never really liked gym rats. They were usually just meatheads and their bulging muscles somewhat bothered her. The only reason they had them was because they wanted to impress women or they were trying to compensate for something they were lacking, such as brains.
But Ember was somehow different. He wasn’t as big as the gym guys, but he looked strong and sophisticated. Other women of the lobby followed his movement with their eyes. For reasons she couldn’t explain, that made Sarah oddly defensive.
“Got the key,” he said. “I’d like to change and shower. You?”
“You have no idea,” she replied.
Did he only get one room? She wasn’t sure if she liked that or not. She wasn’t going to argue, but she was going to keep that gun close. Ah, but, it was still empty. It wouldn’t do a thing against him.
She glanced at the clock. Almost midnight. It had already been dark when her bike broke down. The rain was still coming down outside with a gentle pitter-patter against the large glass windows in the lobby.
They went into the elevator. The elevator, like everything else, screamed affluence. It climbed up, giving the people inside a full view of the expansive lobby through a glass wall of the elevator.
“This place is beautiful,” Sarah murmured. “How rich are you?”
She meant it as a joke, but he didn’t take it that way.
“Oh, enough.”
“I’ve had nightmares about you.” She heard herself speaking and tried to get herself to shut up to no avail. She tended to say whatever was on her mind, which was a boon in some occasions and a great flaw in others.
He hesitated. “About me?”
She groaned internally. She’d already said it. She might as well get it off her chest. “Yup. I’ve had them my entire life.”
She watched him carefully. He seemed initially very confused, but after a second of consideration, he nodded. “That happens sometimes.”
She raised up an eyebrow. “People have nightmares abou
t you often?”
He shook his head. “People sometimes have dreams about their past deaths. I’m sorry you have to deal with that. I’m guessing you see little things? Maybe some shapes? But you never see the ending?”
She nodded slowly. “Something like that.”
“Who knows? Maybe my arrival will spark your brain to remember everything.”
“Maybe so.”
There was a pause.
“I didn’t kill you,” Ember assured her. “I know those dreams can sometimes be confusing, but it wasn’t me.”
“Okay.”
“You have nothing to fear from me,” he said with strong conviction.
“You’re a dragon. I have a lot to fear from you.”
“I would rather die than harm you,” Ember responded while staring at her earnestly. “Having a mate in my world isn’t something casual. When we pick a woman, we stay with her for life. That’s why it’s so special.”
“What if the woman doesn’t want it?”
There was just a smallest tinge of pain in his eyes. “Well, it’s very rare. Our physiology draws us to our soulmates. We don’t just find a random woman and spend eternity with her. She must be a special person; someone that we could envision cherishing for all time. I wouldn’t envision that with someone that doesn’t feel the same way about me.”
“So I used to feel this way?”
“Very much so. We were quite passionate lovers.”
The elevator door opened and they started towards the room. Suddenly, Ember turned to face her. She jumped in surprise. He took her shoulders in his powerful hands, looking at her with those enchanting eyes.
“I will win you back,” he said urgently. “I have looked for you for lifetimes. If it takes me the rest of eternity, I will win you back. I will remind you of what we used to have.”
Before she could react, he pulled her close and planted his lips on hers. Each pair of lips gave way to the other ever so slightly. Her eyes flashed open wide in shock. He pulled away.
“I didn’t say you could do that.” Her heart pounded. He excited her and made every one of her senses come alive.
“I took the risk,” he replied.
“I could’ve refused,” she told him with a sharp tone.
She was flushed from the experience, but she had explicitly told him to stay away from her. He had ignored her.
“You’re worth the risk.” He held out a hand for her. “I know you don’t remember me. I’m trying to understand that. All that I’m asking is that you give me a chance to win your heart back. Will you give me that chance? One night. That’s all I’m asking.”
She studied him. All her logic was telling her to stay away from him. He was dangerous. He was a stranger. He was probably crazy. But on a deeper level, her heart was telling her to take his hand and go all in. After a moment of consideration, she reached out her hand and took his. His hand was warm, strong, and cradled hers lovingly.
“One night,” she said. “Prove everything to me.”
“Everything,” he promised, putting his other hand on top of hers. “Everything.”
“You better not turn into a dragon again.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep us safe.”
“What about me?”
“I have a gun in my bag,” he replied. “I brought it for you.”
“The last gun didn’t do much against the orcs,” she protested.
“It’s a different kind of gun.”
He led them towards their hotel room. She caught the number of a room that they passed: 2716. They were on the twenty-seventh floor of the monumental building. Twenty-seven was also her lucky number, so she was pretty happy about that. He slid the card into the key reader and it blinked green before he pushed open their hotel room door.
Sarah had always associated hotel rooms with low qualities of living. They were just temporary residences. The ones she’d stayed in were usually cheap ones, so they didn’t have any amenities or anything better than a tiny shower and a bed.
This hotel was different. She spotted a full bar, a king-size bed adorned with decorative pillows, and an expansive bathroom. There was even a large jacuzzi bathtub she couldn’t wait to use. To top it all off, a decadent balcony waited outside.
She put her hands to cover her mouth. “Oh, wow…”
“Do you like it?” he moved to the bed. “The view is amazing.”
“It’s beautiful!”
She wandered over to the window, looking at the city. Part of her worried about someone watching them through the windows from one of the nearby buildings, but then noticed a sliding curtain ran across the curved glass wall. She drew the curtain shut. They were concealed from the rest of the world. Whoever had shot that arrow at her would have killed her back at her own apartment. She didn’t want to give them a good shot at either her or Ember.
When she turned around, Ember was naked and rooting through his bags. He had a beautiful geometric design tattooed over his right shoulder. Her theories about his body was completely right—lean and powerful.
Sarah turned away, embarrassed. “Well, you don’t waste any time, do you?”
“What do you mean?” The meaning behind her comment seemed to dawn on him. “You’ve seen it all before anyway,” he said with a shrug.
“Well, not for a thousand years, according to you.” Her cheeks were burning.
“Well, I’m going to take a shower. Of course, you are welcome to join me,” he said as he headed to the bathroom.
“I’m good, thanks,” laughed Sarah.
She could hear him laugh as the water turned on.
“I could sue you for indecency,” she called after him.
He peeked his head outside of the bathroom door. “I’ve been around much too long to worry about your laws. I’m not saying I’m above the law, but, well, yes, I am above the law. Besides, I saw your flushed cheeks—you liked what you saw.”
She opened her mouth to come up with the perfect comeback, but was silent. She wanted to be offended, but the man, or dragon, or whatever he was supposed to be, was absolutely right.
“Hey, if you want food,” he called from the shower, “there’s a menu by the bed.”
Sarah plopped down on the large, cozy bed and immediately sank into it as if it were made just for her.
I could get used to this, she thought.
She felt soothed by the rain outside and the sound of the shower running. Comfortable. Protected. The air was set at just the right temperature. No huge scary creatures were attacking them. They were safe, for the moment.
She knew there would come a time when she was scared again, but in that moment, she was determined to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Her body was exhausted and she fought to keep her eyes opened.
6
“Hey,” Ember said. “You’re hogging the bed.”
Suddenly, she realized that she had fallen asleep without her permission. She opened her eyes to see Ember looking at her.
“Are you wearing pants?” she asked, almost afraid to look.
“You asked me to.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He lifted a leg. He was wearing linen pants. She shifted up into a small mountain of pillows. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep.”
“I’m supposed to be spending this time to convince you I’m telling you the truth,” he reminded. “That was the agreement, remember?”
She blinked sleep out of her eyes. “Can you put on a shirt at least?”
He grinned. “I’ll put on a shirt if you stay awake to ask me all the questions you might have.”
“Deal.”
He pulled on the rest of his sleep wear, which was evidently just the counterpart to the pants. “Are you going to shower?”
“I was going to.” She scooted over to part of the bed, making a pillow barricade to keep them apart. “But this bed is pretty tempting… and I don’t have any clothes.”
“There are robe
s in the bathroom,” he said while gesturing to the bathroom.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then, yes, I will shower in a minute.”
Ember sat down on the other side of the pillow wall. “So, I imagine you have some questions for me?”
She did have some questions for him. She had a whole list, but her brain wasn’t fully working. She had never been good at waking up quickly. It took her a solid fifteen minutes to get her brain up and running. There was no doubt she had questions. All she had to do was remember them.
Until she could think of them, she just bluffed. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Take your time. Are you hungry?”
“Not really…”
She looked up at the fan swirling overhead. “Here’s a question for you. What happens if Roland catches me?”
“We both die.”
“Why you?”
“I’ll die before I see him hurt you.”
She glanced over at him. He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring up at the ceiling. She couldn’t see his body under his shirt, but she remembered the tattoo on his shoulder. “I like your tattoo.”
“That’s good. You didn’t like it the first time we met.”
“How did you and I supposedly meet so long ago?”
“Just like normal humans, I guess. I was passing through your village and I saw you. Immediately, I knew you were the one. I just came up and talked to you. I didn’t break my genetics to you immediately. I got to know you first.”
“Huh. So,” she said. “I saw the orcs already. What shot at me in my apartment? That arrow?”
“Probably a goblin,” he replied. “Doesn’t really matter. That was a steel bolt. I know, I know. Why use a bolt when you can use a gun? Goblins…” he tried to think of a good way to say it. “They’re not the smartest things. They’re big into tradition.”
She was starting to pull out of her sleep mode. “I’m going to drill you on me. If you and I were really married, you’d know these things about me.”
