“Then why, Zara? Why?” I half-shouted. “I get it. You don’t want me anymore because of your mate. Maybe you never wanted me and I was just deluding myself.”
I sounded crazy, even to myself. I barely knew this woman, and yet here I was almost in tears because she’d left me. She hadn’t even broken up with me. We weren’t anything to each other. Just a couple of people who’d been on a couple of dates.
And this wasn’t how I’d expected tonight to end. By the time we’d gotten out of the car, I’d been expecting the date to end in sex. She’d been giving me all the green lights necessary for that.
“I…” she started again but fell silent.
Damn, why did she look so beautiful. The stars were glittering off the lake, and there was a surprising amount of light about. But it lit her with a soft glow that made her seem otherworldly. I wanted her so bad. Why couldn’t I have her?
“I don’t think he’s actually my mate,” she said softly, her words almost stolen by the empty space between us. Probably because she couldn’t seem to look me in the eye.
My heart rose. Those were words I really wanted to hear. Words that made everything seem brighter again. Everything more possible. But they also raised questions. And I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much. Otherwise they’d just end up dashed with my heart beaten to a pulp by the side of it.
“You seemed pretty certain back at Devon and Ayra’s,” I said sternly, only noticing after the fact that the wrong name had slipped out. Hopefully she was too pre-occupied to actually have noticed. If not, I’d deal with it later. Or just claim my breaking heart was at fault.
I was too dramatic for my own good sometimes.
At least this had sorted the tight jeans situation. As sexy as she looked, I just couldn’t be turned on while having my heart broken.
“I have never felt as complete as I did earlier,” she admitted. “And then you left.”
She looked up suddenly, her eyes meeting mine. The pain swimming there took me off guard.
“Zara…” It was my time to be without words. Wasn’t this conversation going well. No Marc points for either of us then.
“Marcus, I…”
“You’re going to have to say it.” The words came out harsher than I anticipated and I regretted them the moment they were out. I was just causing her more pain than intended.
“I came running straight after you, but you were already driving away.”
“So you shifted?” I asked, changing topics slightly in the hope she’d circle back around when she was ready. As much as I needed, and wanted, her to say what I thought she was going to, I didn’t want to push her too hard.
“Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that. I tend to avoid it because of the whole size thing.”
“Are most dragons bigger than you?” I asked, genuinely curious. Ayra had described Devon as huge in his dragon form, but I wondered if that was just him, or if dragons came in all kinds of shapes and sizes. It wasn’t an issue that often for vampires.
“Yes, they’re all bigger than me. It appears to be a halfling thing.” She almost spat the word, and while I could understand her derision, I hated her directing it at herself.
“Well, I think you make a beautiful dragon.”
“I look like a hummingbird,” she countered.
“Are hummingbirds not beautiful?” I cocked my head to side and studied her closely.
Something in her face decided it for me. I stepped closer, so I could feel the heat of her body next to mine.
“Personally, I think hummingbirds are far more beautiful than flamingos.”
Before she could answer, I tipped her chin up with a gentle finger, making her eyes meet mine. They were filled with something undefined, but I recognised it well enough to know what she was feeling.
It was odd, I knew that, but there was something about her that I knew well on the inside.
Leaning down, I pressed my lips against hers. She felt like home. Comfortable. Safe. Secure. And she tasted even sweeter as she kissed me back. She was warm, soft, desirable. Lovable. Even if I only met her a short while back and hadn’t known her for long, I knew I could love her. I would if she let me.
A little breathless, Zara pulled away, leaving just the tiniest of gaps between us. Just enough to share a moment, a breath, a smile. I brushed my thumb across her cheek, watching how she melted into my touch.
“We shouldn’t be here,” Zara muttered softly, her voice hitching as I nipped at her bottom lip.
“Why not?” I whispered back, staring into her dark eyes for an answer to a question I hadn’t even asked.
She gestured to the beautiful stillness of the lake and I could swear there was magic here. Even if I wasn’t a dragon, even if I couldn’t understand, I felt it. An ancient power that swirled in the water, something so pure and holy, even I could sense it.
“This is a holy place, sacred to the Orrin clan. We’re standing on the graves of their ancestors, the earth of their bodies, the soil for their children. We’re trespassing.”
“Eeesh.” I pulled a face, surprised that this was so special. Ayra never mentioned how exclusive this spot was, but then again, they probably didn’t expect me to come here all willy nilly.
“Let’s go, Marcus.”
“Together?” I asked, chaining my breath in my lungs, afraid to let it go and break the magic we seemed to be under. The enchantment cast by the lake.
“Yes.” She slipped her hand in mine and I just knew it was right. She was right. “Together.”
“Where should we go?” I intertwined my fingers with hers and squeezed gently, almost to make sure she was here. With me.
“Back to your friends? I kind of left Léon there and Tate didn’t seem to be too happy about that…”
“Oops,” I laughed, relief spreading through my chest. She really wanted to be with me. And damn it, I wanted to keep her. For… For a long time.
ELEVEN
AWKWARDLY, I knocked on Ayra’s front door, a little ashamed for all the ruckus we were causing today. It didn’t seem fair she had to deal with all the drama, especially when I knew she was dying to go see her egg. Come to think of it, they always talked about their egg by the lake, but I didn’t see it anywhere…
I glanced at Zara and caught her gulping audibly. Right, not the time to think about Ayra’s child. We had other problems to deal with.
“Marcus, how unexpected of you to swing by. Do come in.” Ayra smiled sarcastically, swinging the door wide open to invite us in.
“Thanks,” I snorted, amused by my best friend. She really was funny.
“Do vampires have to be invited in?” Zara whispered in my ear as we crossed the threshold.
“No… I let myself in earlier, didn’t I?”
She turned red and coughed awkwardly. “Oh, yeah… Right. Sorry.”
“Put this on,” Ayra said, shoving what must be one of Devon’s shirts towards me. Not a good one either. It appeared to be pink with orange flowers. I might be flamboyant at times, but this was a bit much.
“Really?”
“Yes, really, put it on, Marcus.” Her eyes lit with fire as she spoke. Yup. My best friend was a dragon and could burn me to a crisp if she wanted to. Probably best to put the ugly shirt on.
“Fine,” I said, sticking my arms through the shirt with a little more force than necessary before buttoning it up. It looked even worse on. At least according to the reflection in the mirror opposite.
“Your…. ‘friend’ is in the kitchen,” Ayra pointed, frowning angrily. “He’s eating his way through my fridge. Make him stop.”
“How about I show him the door?” I suggested, quite eager to shove this French prick out of the house. Whoever he was, I didn’t want him around. I quickly checked to see if Zara had any objections, but it didn’t seem so.
“Gladly,” she responded, gently pushing me in the direction of the kitchen. Confidently, I marched out of the living room and found Léon obnoxiously eating
one of Ayra’s pies. The nerve.
“Hello, sweet cheeks,” he grinned, exposing a row of blinkity teeth. He even had a little diamond blinking in his canine tooth. What an a-class tosser.
“Time to go, Léon,” I growled, grabbing him by his collar and dragging him out away from the kitchen island. He’d regret setting foot inside Ayra’s house and trying to take Zara away from me.
“Take your hands off of me, you dirty vampire.” He yanked himself free and harshly shoved me backwards. I stumbled over my two left feet and just managed to keep myself up right. Well, that was embarrassing. And this was why I never won a fight.
A toilet flushed and confused, I did a quick headcount. Ayra, Devon, Zara, Léon, me. Who the hell was using the bathroom?
The door shrieked open and an older man appeared. His grey beard concealed half of his face, but there was a darkness in his eyes that couldn’t be hidden by all the facial hair in the world.
“Dad?”
I turned to Zara, my eyes widening. “Dad?” I mouthed, pointing subtly at the man. He was her father? What was he doing here?
Shit, why was I dressed like this? If I’d known I’d have met her father today, I’d have put on a suit. Or at least put on a different cologne.
“Mister Zara, how nice to meet you,” I quickly greeted, running up to the rather scary man, hoping to shake his hand. He eyed me suspiciously, barely cracking a smile. With a disapproving gruff, he blatantly ignored me as he moved to Zara.
“Dad, what are you doing here?”
He kissed his daughter on the cheek and patted her cheek. “You ran off before you could meet your mate.”
“Léon is not my mate,” Zara protested, pulling up her nose in disgust. A little ripple appeared between her eyes and it was utterly adorable.
“Yes, he is.” Her father waved at the French dick and patted him on the shoulder. “He’s a good man and he wants to take care of you.”
“Hehe. Oh, I’ll take great care of you,” Léon groaned, vulgarly thrusting his hips towards Zara. My hands trembled in anger and I would have knocked his lights out, if Ayra hadn’t pulled me backwards and shaken her head.
“Dad, I don’t think he’s right for me,” Zara tried again, her attention shifting between the two men. Her father laughed harshly and slapped Léon’s back.
“Zara, dear. You don’t exactly have the luxury to be picky. You should be so happy to have a dragon who wants you.”
She tore herself out of his grip and pointed at the vulgar intruder. “I refuse to be with someone like him. Dad, he’s a loser, can’t you see?”
Her father grabbed her by her wrist and hissed angrily. “He comes from a very respectable family that agreed to take you in. Now you be a good daughter and do what daughters do. Give me some nice, big offspring.”
That was it. No matter how much Ayra tried to hold me back, I couldn’t let this happen. I shrugged her away and shoved Zara’s father back. He growled angrily, the darkness in his eyes swirling in a way that could’ve petrified anyone. But not me, I was done backing down from a fight. I was done being the loser, the underdog, the outcast. I finally had something I wanted, someone I wanted. Something real, something worth protecting. And I wouldn’t let anyone take Zara away from me. Not her father, not Léon, not anyone.
“That’s no way to speak to a woman,” I snapped, regretting my choice of words immediately. It was no way to speak to anyone really, but it didn’t seem like the right time to combat sexism.
“How dare you touch me, you disgusting vampire?” he snarled, his face twitching as he exposed two elongated canines. Hah, I could do that too. I curled up my own lip and bared my fangs at him. Unlike him, mine were actually functional and about as dangerous as body parts came.
“Apologise,” I commanded, hoping I sounded as badass as I wanted to be. It was a little foreign, but standing up for Zara seemed like a great time to find the animal in me. Well, half of an animal. But he didn’t need to know that. For all he knew, I was a scary and dangerous full-blood vampire that could rip his throat out any moment. Not that I’d do that, Ayra would be so mad at me for the clean-up.
“Hah. This little shit has some balls. For now. You just wait until I cut them off,” he threatened, grabbing a fistful of my shirt and yanking me so close I could smell the coffee and cigarettes on his breath.
“Dad. Stop it!” Zara wormed herself between us and wiggled me out of her father’s grip. She shot me a look I didn’t really understand, but it didn’t feel good.
“We are overstaying our welcome. We shouldn’t be discussing this here,” she said, turning to Ayra and Devon. “I’m so sorry for dragging this into your home.”
“Not a problem.” Ayra smiled, but it never reached her eyes. From the fire in her gaze, I was surprised Léon didn’t crumble right where he was standing. I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the other end of the glare.
“Dad, let’s go home. We shouldn’t do this here.”
“Zara—” I protested, but she placed a hand against my chest. A soft but determined twinkle played in her eyes as she brushed a little fleck of dust from my shirt.
“I need to sort this on my own, but I will call you.”
“Promise?” I asked, forcing the panic to stay put. I didn’t want to let her go with her aggressive father and the arrogant prick, but I really had no choice. She was a grown woman, perfectly capable of making her own decisions. I was just worried to what they would try and make her do. I wanted her to return to me and I feared she might not.
“I promise, Marcus. We have a lot to talk about too. Good things,” she smiled, pressing a quick kiss on my cheek. Not exactly how I hoped the evening would end, but from the jealousy on Léon’s face, so worth it.
“Yeah, that’s right. You saw what you saw,” I hissed at him, baring my fangs. He glared right back, but didn’t make any attempts to come closer. Hah, at least I scared him.
“Thank you for your hospitality, again, so sorry for the intrusion,” Zara smiled politely, ushering the two men out of Ayra’s house. She shot me an apologetic look right before the door fell hard in its lock.
We all watched the door in silence, almost like we were half expecting Zara’s father to barge back in. I wouldn’t be surprised, he didn’t seem like the kind to actually respect personal space or anything like that. Though I think he did seem to want people to give it to him.
I didn’t have time for hypocrites.
Sighing, I slid down onto one of Ayra and Devon’s chairs, almost managing to actually relax.
“I have questions,” Ayra said, perching on the edge of the sofa where Devon was now sitting too. The man reached out and placed a hand on his wife’s back, offering her support and affection without even doing much.
I’d never really understood their little touches before. The same went for when Sian and Tate were in the same room. But now…now, I got it. I wanted the same with Zara.
“So do I,” I said. “Like, why do you even own this shirt?” I picked at the fabric, before looking at Devon. He was going to give me an answer, and depending what it was, I was going to tease him mercilessly about it.
Beside him, Ayra snickered. “Why, Marc? I think it suits you.”
I glared at her briefly, before turning my attention back to her husband and raising an eyebrow.
“Tate bought me it for revenge,” he said, shrugging.
“What did you do?! Break her gaming computer?” Knowing Tate, she really wouldn’t be happy if he did that. Or if anyone did that.
“I don’t think I’d have any balls left if I did that.”
“Devon!” Ayra looked horrified, but all Devon could do was chuckle to himself.
“Her mother made her wear a dress for prom, and I said she should because she’d look pretty. That was my punishment.” He gave the shirt a dirty look.
“How long did she make you wear it for?” I asked, the image in my head seriously amusing. Tate was as slight as Ayra was. Naturally, considering they
were pretty much identical apart from the eyes and the species thing. There was no chance she’d be able to make Devon do anything.
But that completely made sense. He was quite possibly the biggest softy I’d ever met. I’d seen how doting and caring he was with Ayra and knew for a fact he’d been the same with Tate before. I had to hand it to him and Sian. Even if they’d been in a relationship with the wrong woman, they still tried their bests to make it work. Not that it was any of their fault. It wasn’t every day the love of your life started body swapping with the person who actually turned out to be the love of your life.
Wow, I actually had it easy with Zara after all.
“A week,” Devon muttered finally.
“Please tell me there are photos?” I gave Ayra my best pleading look.
Luckily, she nodded her head. Yes! Those photos would be coming out next time Devon had a birthday party. I was going to embarrass him to no end.
“Now, answers,” Ayra said sternly.
I sighed. “What do you want to know?”
“When you realised you were mated, what you’re going to do about it, are you going to live near here and Zara’s family, are you going to live in the city still, what about when you’re parents, will you be my egg’s godfather, how are you and dragon going to work, have you told her what you are?” she rattled off, barely catching her breath between the questions.
“You want me to be a godfather?” I asked, my eyes lighting up. I knew how seriously the couple took their baby and I was honoured to even be asked. So honoured, there were actually a few tears forming in the corner of my eyes.
“Of course,” Devon replied in Ayra’s stead. “No one would bring our child up better.”
“You just don’t want them being brought up with all the ceremonies,” I half-teased.
Ayra and Devon exchanged looks. “Well…sort of. We just don’t think the dragons would give them the open and honest views they’ll need,” she admitted.
“It doesn’t matter, I’d be honoured!” I beamed at the two of them, not quite over my good luck on the matter. I couldn’t think of anything better than being an uncle to their child.
Shadows and Stars Page 52
