“Luckily, I am no one's mate, but yours. There is no outstanding girlfriend, fiancé or wife for you to worry about. Why, do you plan on filling that unoccupied position?”
Instead, I leaned back in my chair and wondered: What was there to lose by allowing myself to enjoy my time here?
“Do you have a phone I can use?”
A pleasant smile spread across his face that made my stomach do my little flip, as if butterfly wings fluttered and flapped. I stabbed some French fries with my fork, stuck it in my mouth and gagged.
I cleared my throat and tried to wash away the horrible taste with sweet wine. The French fries tasted like molded bread, the wine like vinegar. I frowned, dropping my fork, hearing the high-pitched clatter of silver as it landed on the china plate. I forced the awful crud down—goodbye fresh hot fries; adieu dessert wines—and shuddered. Yuck!
“Excuse me,” I said. “That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting from the food.”
He frowned. “Since you were able to get down the fish, you should have been able to enjoy this lovely spread.
“This new vampire diet is going to have me eating fresh beef from the pasture.”
“No, no, we’ll figure it out.” His eyes crinkled. Sort of like a beau would attend to his love interest.
I watched him. Why was he able to dance in my mind and watch me squirm? The small smile told me more than enough. He liked to be in control. That was his end game.
When I was younger, I used to skip rocks on the pond near my house in hopes of one day that those rocks would be worth a wish, a hope, a dream. Yet, as I sat there across from him, I felt torn between reason and what ifs.
Trying. I'd spent my entire life trying to make this work, pushing stones up a mountain to be crushed by it when it came crashing back down on me.
Yet, seeing him, my fantasy in real life, I wondered what I could lose besides my soul, my heart, my life, in believing that this could be more than I had ever wanted.
We'd been in this place before. This moment before.
“You've been alone so long, are you going to continue to push me away?” I asked him. It was his turn to take issue with my nearness. To watch him wonder as to my intentions.
“I can satiate your appetite and teach you all things to survive, but you must trust me,” Alistair said and closed the distance between us”
Enough with the games.
To get a different outcome, I needed to do something different.
“What are the rules of magic here?”
“There is one main rule we must always follow: the supernatural world is to remain a secret. We are unable to share it with anyone. Listen, Leslie, you have many questions, but first, you must sleep. Accept this gift which I can give you: a gift of peace.”
“I don't want peace. I want answers.”
“Tomorrow the sun will reveal all, until then, you must understand that there is much you don't know and will learn soon enough. Not from the mouths of others, but from experience. When you rise tomorrow, your questions will be answered.”
“And why can't you tell me now?”
Because dawn is on the horizon, and I must sleep. That is how the magic works here. By the moon's light I am free to come and go, but by dawn's early rays, back into the stones I must go.”
He rose and paused at my seat. He went to walk by me, and I felt the slightest of shivers move through me, as if a puff of energy left his body to crash into my own.
How was this possible?
“Since you’re my mate, what am I to call you?”
“What’s in a name, my dear?”
“Everything. For the true name of the dragon has power to bring it to your feet.”
He leaned in close and whispered it into my ear. His breath warm on my cheek. His skin smelled of fresh air. So close, I stared into those golden eyes and felt the magic and thrill of him being near.
“When you are ready, then we shall see where this is allowed to go.”
Alistair stepped back, bowed his head, and disappeared from my sight.
“He's your eternity.” Gran suddenly appeared at my side.
“Have you been waiting to pop out to come say something?”
“Well, I’ve been waiting to say something. I will never understand you, girl, or why you didn’t let him swipe everything off of that table and show you what the gods made him with. Mmm.”
“Gran! You grew up during a very repressed time. How is it that all you talk about is my shagging this guy?”
“Didn’t you just answer your own question? Plus, between all of the hot and heavy looks, I’m just happy that I didn’t walk into a room smelling sperm. You know, it must be hard to get out of a dining room table cloth, I’m guessing. I don’t know how Dragon sperm is—if it would be more human than beast.”
I stuck my fingers in my ears. The last thing I was even going to consider was my gran’s anatomy lesson on Alistair.
“He’s all man, Gran.”
I didn’t know about love, but there was some interest there, and although I wasn't usually that type of girl, the longer I stared at him, the more I wondered if I could become her after all. The house, this man, the secrets, all offered and rolled out on a red carpet.
“Well, if that’s the case, you’ve already ridden the dragon. Now, you need to find a way to ride that man. It is the cost of your survival, dear. It’s time to screw the pooch, and I’m going to show you how!”
29
Alistair
“I’m surprised you just let her walk away.” Killian sat stirring the fire with a poker.
Alistair entered the library and barely closed the door before Killian began his talk. “Is this when you give me that brother-to-brother talk on how I’m to woo this woman?” Alistair asked.
“I didn’t think you were a wooer?”
“I’m not, but I have to make sure that she fits here.”
“That’s the least of your concerns.”
“My job is to—”
“I’m going to stop you right there. If you don’t find out who’s attacked the woman in town and killed her, you are going to have a revolt on your hands. Everyone is pointing at the new vampire, and you don’t want to see it.”
“What are you suggesting?”
Killian cracked a smile, and pulled his leather coat further around him. “Well, she’s going to need an alibi, and what better alibi than for her to be in your bed?”
Alistair groaned.
“Hear me out.”
“You’ve been dealing too much with the American Order to think that I’d just hop into a sexual relationship with her. That would be scandalous.”
“Well, it will also be scandalous if the house rises up and decapitates you, but that is all on you if you so decide.”
Alistair began to pace. “It will have to lead up to that. I’m not going to head to her room, knock on her door, and say, “Well, my dear, to keep you safe, let’s shag.”
“Even I wouldn’t say it like that. You have to talk about her beauty, and try to heat up the oven before you try to roast the turkey.”
Ever since they were young, Killian had always had his way with the females of the house and town. Maybe it was his bad boy aura, shaggy hair and that when he got upset, he’d bare his wolf-like canines. Women fell all over him because of his brooding looks, while for Alistair, no interest could be discerned until they learned of his status. Then, of course, everyone sought the high position at his side, but no one ever truly sought him out. Except Rose. He shuddered at the thought.
“I have a plan that will let you keep one head and get the other polished.”
“Don’t be so crass.”
Killian chuckled. “You’ve been feeding her fish, and more than likely since you gave her your blood as the sea serpent, and not in your shifter form, that is why she can only eat the fish of the sea.”
Alistair groaned. He should have thought of that. In his haste to make things right, he’d taken what they had ton
s of: fish from the Loch, and given it to her. Now, that was all her body could digest.
“She must be starving?” Worry spiced his words.
“That is where you come in. She is now a pescatarian, and that means she can eat fruit of the sea. Take a platter upstairs and seduce her. But you mustn’t let her bite you, or drink from you again.”
Alistair frowned. “If that is part of the vampiric ritual, what is the harm? We are already tethered to one another.”
“Should she drink from you again, that could create other issues that we don’t know of.”
“Such as?”
“She is the seer, able to absorb the traits of other supernaturals. What would it mean if through her bite, she also absorbed the part of you that made you a demigod?”
“So, I could face losing my immortality until I heal?”
“Yes, even more, she, in that state, would be virtually unstoppable.”
“Do you know enough about her to even commence the greatest woo of your lifetime?”
Alistair’s gaze fell on the paperback.
“Yes, dear brother. I think I have a way in.”
Alistair carried the platter filled with freshly prepared sushi, along with the latest algae based cocktail, and her book. This was his one shot. He paused before her door.
He didn’t want to consider that his being at her door had less to do with the thought of those under his care usurping his authority, nor did it have to be about any outside threat. There was one reason: Leslie.
He liked how her skin smelled of lavender, her eyes lit up with flecks of blue, like the most beautiful of sapphires, and that smile. He tried to catch himself. Dragons were loners. Until she arrived, he’d spent most of his time away from the castle, but now, he couldn’t find the strength to swim away. She’d given him purpose to call this home again.
And that damn book.
How could her Ewan really be me?
He took a deep breath, adjusted his shirt, and tapped on the door.
“Come in.” Her voice was filled with light.
Light could show paths, reveal hidden treasures, and even the slightest glimmer could break through the expanse of darkness.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said and crossed the threshold.
He’d never expected to find her seated on her bed, legs crisscrossed in a pair of black and white polka dot, long-sleeved pajamas with thick fuzzy socks, while wearing a turmeric yellow face mask.
“Uh, I’m sorry I must be intruding.”
Leslie jumped up. “Oh no, I couldn’t sleep, and your pantry had enough of everything to make this mask. Turmeric can be so expensive, but I was happy to find it in your fully-stocked kitchen. Makes me want to do some YouTube videos, or maybe post an online review on the benefits of turmeric.” She rambled on.
“Since you weren’t able to eat, I had the chef prepare something that might go down the hatch a little bit better. Do you like sushi?”
He placed the platter on the table near her bed where she stood.
“New clothes?”
“That nice maid dropped them off for me. She said that it would help me acclimate to life here if I had my own clothes. There’s nothing like having fresh undies, and ones that I don’t have to wash out every day, hang up over the shower rod, and… I’m doing it again. I tend to ramble when I get a little nervous.”
“Am I making you nervous?”
He could see she weighed her options, deciding If truth would be his reward.
“Somewhat, but that has a lot to do with this change and new world. You’ve lived this life for much longer than I have. This is all new—up until recently none of this existed to me, and I didn’t believe it ever could.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that. I’ve been reading your book.”
She smiled. “My book? You, a big brawny, manly man? You’re enjoying my little paranormal romance?”
“Actually, yes. I think I can help you get your facts correct. You have a great grasp of dialogue, but your paranormal facets need to be straightened out a bit.”
She began to laugh. “You do know all that came from my imagination.”
“But it didn’t.”
“Whoa, I’m not a plagiarist.”
“No dear. It would appear that as the seer, which you’ve always been, you’ve been able to tap into something that binds us. Your handsome hero, I fear, is really me.”
He heard the air whoosh from her lungs, her eyes grew to the size of saucers, and her mouth began to gape.
“No, that… that can’t be true. Ewan is not a dragon.”
Alistair took a step closer. “Would it be so bad for me to be your inspiration?”
“Take your shirt off. Take it off, now,” she demanded.
“Uh, I think you’re moving sort of fast to getting me naked.”
“If you’re the hero of my book—who just stepped off the pages—then I need to see for myself.” He slowly began to open up his button-down shirt. “I feel like I need to do a dance with all of this.”
“Don’t make this even weirder.” She moved closer to help him. His shirt slid off of his shoulders.
“Turn around. I need to see.”
Leslie
This was like being hit over the head with a hammer. I’d thought I’d created him from my mind, but no, it was from a shared memory.
I didn’t care one bit about his naked chest.
The bittersweet truth smacked me in the face. I was even more of a failure than I thought, and it hurt.
My entire life, I’d had these stories inside me, and I thought it had to do with my discovering Gran.
“The gods have always looked down upon you.”
“Bollocks, as you’d say. I’m not just an empty vessel to be filled with someone else’s purpose, someone else’s dreams. I have my own. I breathe, I live, and now, you’re taking that all away from me. I’ve only wanted this one thing, and just like that, you’ve erased it.”
“Leslie, that is not why I am here.”
“You came here only to be an ass to me. To take away the one thing that meant something to me. I fought tooth and nail to get my name on that cover—and it’s not even my real name. Instead, I hid behind a name they said was more marketable. Something catchy. Something that people could remember, spell and generic enough to be on any shelf. All of the hours spent, and I could have just had you dictate it.
“I work eighty hours a week, alone, in the dark—eyes straining to type against the glaring white backdrop, with cramping hands, and it was all for nothing. It’s not my story, but yours.”
“But you’re being foolish.”
“Excuse me?”
“You are. I’ve not taken anything from you. You’ve created my world and brought back memories I’d not taken time to remember in ages. It was almost like a poet’s prayer, to almost hear my father’s words again; to see my mother. Those are things that can’t be so easily nullified.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You are going to remain the fabulous woman that you are, and realize that it is you who have made me the most fortunate of men, as not only have I been favored by your presence, but also with the knowledge that you indeed see me, understand me. And maybe one day, you could learn to love a simple, empty, broken man like me.”
“I have nothing to offer you. I don’t understand this world, and I’m not interested in knowing anything about it. I know the others don’t like me, and aren’t interested in getting to know me either.”
“It is not you, love.”
“Pray tell. What have I done to acquire their disdain? They don’t have a problem with Gran. I’m sure she’s going to find a way to the light at the end of this entire situation, like she’d walked in a church, prayed, and had a heavenly epiphany, while leaving me behind. And me? I’ll still be stuck in between these two worlds.”
“We can go converse with my grandmother if that might help.”
“What’s she going to
do? Tell me how to make fish soup.”
He shook his head. “I’m sure the goddess Freyja would indeed get a chuckle out of that.”
“As long as she can make it so that we can work this out, I might try it.” Yet, the sight of sushi called my attention when my stomach rumbled again.
“But first, let’s eat.”
I plopped a piece into my mouth and waited for any sort of disgusting side effects. When nothing happened, it didn’t feel so much like death after all. I’d eaten at some of the best sushi places in Manhattan; this was the creative fusion dish for the moment. At least it was better than blended fish parts, that was for sure.
“Oh, I don’t think I can eat another bite.” Food had never tasted so good. Spicy tuna, delicious wasabi. I stuffed my face, not even sure if I’d swallowed, if I were being honest.
“You are adorable.”
“Ha! If that’s your come-on line, then we really need to work on it.”
He stared at me through starry eyes, and I had to ask, “If you find this turmeric mask attractive—”
“And what if I do? Have I abated any concern that you might have staying here?” He reached out and touched my face, then placed his thumb in his mouth. “I might just start liking turmeric after all.”
“There you go, being charming again.”
I didn’t expect him to meet my challenge. I thought that would have been a natural barrier. He pulled me in.
“Hold that thought,” I said and jumped up. If I was going to be kissed by this man, then we weren’t going to worry about a yogurt and turmeric mask. I stumbled to the bathroom and scrubbed it off of my face—giving me a great natural glow.
“You can do this, Les.” My Lamaze breathing was back with chipmunk cheeks, as well as the inchworms that crawled in my stomach. A wave of nausea hit me mixed with anxiety.
Gran popped into the bathroom. “You know, he’s out there waiting for you.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then fix yourself up. Pluck, shave, spray—freshen up, dear. You don’t want him to be turned off by your unkempt forest.”
Sirens and Scales Page 234
