Mental conversations were good. I liked the intimacy. I turned around and nodded. "We're alone."
The old woman reached into her pocket. "Close the door and pull up a chair."
Nothing would stop me from taking the seat beside her. I’d found my home and she was a part of it. We had to make peace. I had to try.
15
"Come closer,” Mrs. Adams said. “I have something for you."
I stepped further into the room and a shiver rushed through me as I remembered our last conversation. Then I squared my shoulders. I'm a dragon. I’d just saved her life. Surely, Mrs. Adams couldn’t hate me. I pulled the seat next to the couch closer and adjusted the cushions as I sat. I nodded at her. "You sound like your old self."
Her gaze narrowed and the gleam in her eyes seemed sharp and lucid. "How would you know? You think you know me when a day hasn't passed."
True, but from our few meetings, Mrs. Adams reminded me of a fierce warrior who could still wield any weapon she pleased. I shrugged my shoulders, leaned back and asked politely, "Did you know my grandmother?"
With her nostrils twitched, she seemed like she wanted to growl. Then she settled in and asked, "Who was your grandmother?"
Good. There wasn't an insult in the question. We were making progress. "Diana Drake."
Mrs. Adams reached into her torn pants’ pocket and retrieved something she held in a handkerchief. "I’ve met her, but right now we have more important things to discuss."
"What?" She shoved the white cloth into my hands.
"I went out to retrieve this,” she said. “Robert buried it with Serena. Your husband will need it."
It would be okay if Robert loved Serena but I needed to know if he loved me now. I unwrapped the material and then held a sharp leather triangle that would clearly cut through the skin. I held it to the light. "What is this?"
"His missing scale."
Robert had talked about missing a piece of his scale from a fight. I lowered my hand and stared at Mrs. Adams. "I don't understand. What am I supposed to do with it?"
She shook her head as if she thought me an idiot. "Are you mated with him or not?"
Mated did not mean I knew how to glue a scale back on a dragon that shifts into a human. "Yes."
"Then you can heal him and put this piece back."
Yeah I was going to need the video lecture on how to do that with clear 1, 2, 3 steps in the directions. "How?"
"I'm not a dragon. I don't know how you do it—I just know that you can."
I folded the handkerchief and wondered if Robert knew. Doubtful, if he’d buried the scale, but it must be important. Mrs. Adams had risked her life to get it. "Fair enough. Thank you. I will ask."
"Your husband won't know until he asks himself. Have him show you how to talk to your grandmother. She'll set you straight, now that you've transformed and joined your flight."
A flight of dragons. My new family. I swallowed as I stared at Mrs. Adams. She was now a part of this and clearly she cared. I held the scale to my heart. "I will."
"Good, now go get some sleep. The first time a werewolf transforms we want to sleep for twenty-four hours. Dragons are even worse."
Sleep? I pocketed the scale. "What made this so urgent?”
She turned her head to stare at a wall. "I'd have been back before night if I hadn't run into Cassandra."
I lowered my voice. "Who is Cassandra?"
"A vampire who wants to kill any of you for a chance to return to her life.” Mrs. Adams looked at me. “She set a trap, but I managed to slip out."
“She’s here?”
Robert had warned me there were smart vampires. Tomorrow would be bad if there was retaliation. Perhaps I was imagining things. "What does she want?"
"You, Robert, Grayson, Logan or the children. I don’t think who she kills matters to her as long as she can be human, but it’s almost dawn now. She can't come in the daytime and you need to rest."
This meant that after a rest, I needed to ensure Robert was at his peak and that I learned more powers. Mrs. Adams flinched in pain. I stood. "You are right. I am tired, but I’d like to find out what bandages you might need."
She glared at me. "How? You don’t know where anything is."
"I am good at finding lost things my grandmother left somewhere. Can I see?"
She lifted her calf and I saw the scratches and the rope burn. "It's cut up but you should have seen what I did to that vampire. It wasn't too bad for this old girl."
I closed my eyes and prayed she'd be okay. I’d have to go find bandages in this huge house, but I had to sound calm. "You frightened me the first time we met."
She swatted the air as if smashing a bug. "You annoyed me as you had no idea what you were. That kind of ignorance can get you killed. You’re lucky Robert followed his instinct and flew to Italy. He took a risk. Now go. I'm tired too."
Arguing with her would be like arguing with my grandmother. "Good night."
She nodded at me. I slipped out the door and went to the adjoining room where I motioned for Samantha to return to Mrs. Adams. Then I walked right to my husband and hugged him as a yawn escaped my lips. "Robert, I'm tired."
He massaged the back of my head as he laughed. "You must be. Let's get you in bed too."
A shriek echoed from outside. I stilled and stared at the door. "What was that sound?"
"Doesn’t matter. We can deal with it tomorrow. It's dawn." He urged me to follow him and after a second I did. Vampires are nighttime creatures so he was right. As we neared the stairs he asked, "What did you and Mrs. Adams discuss?"
"This." I reached into my pocket and took out the handkerchief that I then handed to him.
He unwrapped it as we climbed but stopped halfway up the stairs. "My scale. How..."
Had he left it as some sort of memento to his beloved? I took his hand, urging him forward. I’d keep this casual. "She said you buried it with Serena."
"I thought I’d lost it."
So, no. We reached the last step and turned toward our room. "Mrs. Adams said now that I was here, we can reattach it to you."
His eyes widened as he came nose-to-nose with me. "How?"
“I don’t know.” While he was more advanced in skill, there were pieces we could learn together. I swayed on my feet. For once I had knowledge. It made me feel giddy, but it might be the exhaustion. "Tomorrow I need you to take me to the cavern to see my grandmother."
He placed his scale in my hand which caused my palm to heat. "After breakfast then. And we'll bring that with us."
Robert opened the bedroom door. I asked, "We can go out in the daytime?"
He laughed. "Did you have a problem with the sun before you knew you were a shifter?"
"No."
Tugging off his shirt, he said, "Then we're still good."
I put the scale on the nightstand next to the bed. He kicked off his shoes. I untied my own and sat on the bed. "Robert, if you feared for your kids, what instinct did you feel that led you to Italy and me, away from them?"
He paused and stared at me. "It's hard to explain."
"Try. I want to know." I flopped on the bed to be beside him. Love?
He took my hand and gazed at me. Then he clearly chose his words carefully as he explained, "It was a call in my head that wouldn't stop—like a beacon going off. Logan, my other brother, felt one too but his was to Australia. Grayson didn't get that urge so I begged him to stay close to protect my children."
That's why I hadn't met his other brother. It had been a question but then there were so many since I’d arrived that I lost track. "So Logan is in Australia? I look forward to meeting him."
“He’s a good man.” He stood and removed his jeans. "Let's go to bed now. You must be exhausted."
I undressed, but then looked at my bag. Robert settled into the bed in just his underwear. I waffled on what I should do. I had a sensible cotton night dress in the bag, but then I decided to drop my bra on the ground beside the bed and crawl in
next to him. "Have you ever been so tired that you don't think you can sleep?"
He massaged my back. "Close your eyes."
If I knew for sure that he loved me, then I could rest easier. How to ask? He settled into his pillow. Finally I said, "Robert, you gave me a home."
He took my hand and pressed it gently on his chest. "You are a part of me, just as I'm part of you."
"Okay, good night." I held onto him. For now I had to trust that was enough. Whoever Cassandra was, she could not get to me or my family. Now that I had all this, I refused to let go.
Tomorrow morning, my grandmother would tell me everything. I knew it. And I’d get to hug her one more time. All my life she had been the one who comforted me. I’d forgive her for not telling me about my destiny—I loved her, with every fiber of my soul.
16
Sunlight streamed on my head as something landed on the bed beside me where Robert should have been. I opened my eyes and stared at my husband, fully dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket. He pointed to the clothes laid out for me. I blinked the sleep from my eyes. "What's going on?"
"It's afternoon already."
The sun felt hot. I sat up, noting the matching leather jacket, white shirt and jeans—which were Valentino and, I checked the tag, in my size. Had they been Serena’s? I swallowed. "How?"
"We have to hurry to the cavern and back before dark. So get dressed, and I'll have Mrs. Adams make us a quick lunch and pack us something to eat."
I meant about the clothes. I stood up and stretched. Then he wrapped his arms around me and planted a light kiss on my lips. Once I was up, he said, "Meet me downstairs."
Designer clothes had never mattered. I swallowed my pride, scrambled to clean myself up and then threw on the clothes. The jeans fit like creamy froth to my coffee... okay I seriously needed a cup before we went anywhere. I stopped at the mirror and saw how different I looked. I used to dress frumpy. How did I end up looking hot? And that blonde streak in my hair made me seem bold. I smiled at myself and then sashayed out with an extra swing to my hips.
I went downstairs to the kitchen where Robert was filling a backpack with supplies. Mrs. Adams delivered a tray of orange juice to the table. I meant to ask Mrs. Adams how her leg was but my gaze wandered to a buffet of breads, cheeses, fruits, and eggs.
I made myself and Robert a plate. Mrs. Adams pushed the orange juice at me. Robert then joined me at the table and we ate fast. Once I was done, I nodded at him and stood. "Let's go.
Thanks for the clothes." I pinched the white shirt and tugged it a little. "I feel like a whole new woman in these."
"Samantha ordered them all." He glanced up and down my body, clearly interested in me and not the clothes. “You look great.”
Regretfully, we had no time for any of that. I gestured toward the door with my nose. "I will thank her later."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes." Robert walked me outside. The fresh air had a bite to it, making me want to stretch and run. I hadn't felt this way since I was a girl. As we continued down the road, I asked, "So what do we do?"
"It's not so much do. Just come with me and follow my lead." We headed toward the cliffs.
“Should we fly?”
“Patience. I want to walk next to my wife for a moment.” He took my hand and we walked in silence and stayed close.
The path ended and we stood over the rocky shores below. It seemed so huge with my human eyes. I glanced behind me and saw charred trees. We faced forward again. “Where are we going?"
"We're jumping in the Atlantic." He took off his shoes and jacket.
I stepped back and asked, "What?"
He gave me an alpha look. I kicked off the high heels I wore and placed my brand new leather jacket on the ground beside his. Once I stood up, he winked at me and then began a full sprint toward the cliff’s edge. "Where else would a cavern of dragons be safe? Don't hold your breath when we go under."
Hand in hand we jumped and I screamed out, "I can't."
"You can." We hit the icy water. A chill raced threw me and then I transformed into dragon as my heart raced furiously.
We dove deeper and I saw that his red eyes glowed under the water. I followed and once we dove thousands of miles below, I thought in my head. My grandmother is this way?
Yes.
I looked at the ocean bottom. Human debris littered the place but there was fauna and flora I’d never seen before.
As we passed a school of fish that glowed as we approached, I thought, It's beautiful.
He led me further and finally we reached what was practically the center of the earth. The water turned warm. He used his tail to knock on a rock. Moments later we were granted access as the rock rolled back. Robert let me go first inside and he followed.
We swam past the rock and as we rose to the surface, we hit air. My scales felt lighter. My huge feet stomped onto the rocky coast and I took a breath. There was no way I'd transform back into human here as I wasn’t sure my human form could stand the heat.
Robert said, "This will be our home when our human body dies and we return to being a dragon. My parents had talked about the cave before they died. I thought it was a fairy tale until I became a dragon myself."
I was glad we were staying as dragons. I snorted and a little fire puffed out of my nose. "How long do dragons live..." I stopped talking as I heard thunder coming toward me. Then I met the green eyes of the one person I missed. She wrapped her neck around mine and tears welled. "Grandma."
"Daphne, my girl." She untangled our necks. Joy shone from her eyes.
I never thought I'd see her again. My heart was full as I glanced behind her. "What happened to my parents?" Would they arrive next?
Her gaze was sorrowful. "They thought that they could help the humans make peace in the world."
Oh no. They weren't here. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't cry. "And?"
"Revealing themselves and their flight made them hunted. They were killed and kept as a science experiment. I hid you away from the government as well as the vampires by living a quiet, unassuming life."
No tears formed. I didn't know what to say. . Robert stayed near the entrance to give us space, but I knew he was here and that was a comfort.
Grandma didn't say anything either.
After a few moments I asked, "Why does your sister work as a maid?"
The cave shook. Another thunderous dragon must be coming. Grandma stepped aside as she said, "Aura also lost her parents. The human family she lives with adopted her, but she'll find out. Her grandmother is waiting for her to change."
I glanced at Robert. We’d been with her in Italy and he’d had no clue. "Aura is a dragon and my cousin. Wow. Robert, why didn’t you know?"
He shook his huge head. "I was pulled to you."
I turned toward my grandma. Until Robert brought me home and I’d transformed, I’d been absolutely clueless about my own powers or my identity as a dragon. "What does Robert mean, that he felt drawn to find me? How come I had no idea I should go find him or even who I was?"
Grandma sucked in her breath. The air around her was drawn into her mouth and then slowly smoke came out. "Male dragons reach a certain peak and must find their mates whereas the females tend to ground themselves in their human shell. Females are usually shown their true power when it is time for them to awake. You followed the traditional path."
This was just like every novel I’d read about a girl finding out she's special. I studied the rocky shore. "So I don't get a say?"
"Did you not want to marry me?" Robert's voice echoed in the cavern.
That wasn't what I meant at all. I blinked golden tears away. "I am just trying to understand."
Grandmother then came beside me. "Robert was following his instinct to find you. His mate."
Not love. My tail flicked. "Why me? He was married before.”
"She was not his mate." The answer didn't satisfy my question.
I needed to know Robert loved me for w
ho I was and I needed to hear the words. I'd ask him when we were alone. His words were sweet and romantic when I tried to ask without asking directly, but I had to be certain.
Robert then asked, "So we only get one?"
Another male voice came from the cave and joined us. His feet stomped on the ground and we all stared in his direction as Grandma went to stand beside him. He was tall and golden, like me. "Yes. Dragon males will cast aside his entire life once the burning for his mate begins, and they will do anything to possess her."
"Daphne, this is your grandfather."
Grandma had told me that her husband had died years ago. My heart hammered with vague memories of my own parents. "Thank you. If you are here, Robert's parents are here, what happened to my parents?"
"They revealed themselves to the wrong humans and were killed in their dragon form and then destroyed, inch by inch. Their dragon souls could not survive that," my grandfather said. Robert's father was coming out of a grocery store in his human form. Guess it made the difference.
My grandfather continued, "They cannot join us in the cavern, and there are always less and less of us. If you enjoy your husband, please find a way to ensure you hatch children that will build the family."
Hatch. I'd never go to a hospital or have that movie experience but that would be okay, so long as Robert cared.
Robert pushed his huge tail next to mine as he said quietly, "Ask about the scale?"
Right. His injury. I explained the problem to my grandmother. "How can we heal Robert's scale?"
"When you are mating, cut his human form where he lost the scale, hold it there, while you climax."
My heart almost stopped. Grandma had never said anything like that before. I stepped back, glanced around and asked, "Seriously?"
Robert turned and the stomp of his feet was louder than elephants on stampede. "Daphne, we must go now. Night will hit the coast soon."
"I love you." I wrapped my neck with my grandmother's one more time, and said goodbye to my grandfather. I followed Robert into the water to begin our descent.
As we lowered our heads into the water, he asked, "Did you get your answers?"
Call of the Dragon: Flight of Dragons Page 11
