“Oh wow, it’s amazing up here,” she said.
The valley below fell away as they drove higher. The vast plains and hillsides spread out to the coast. The land was dotted with sections of farmland, swaths of forest, and buildings clustered together, forming little towns.
The sun beamed on the mountain, low on the horizon, it’s orange glow bright and luminous. Aiden imagined this would inspire his mate. He smiled as they turned into another switchback, driving higher up the mountain.
“Thank you for showing me this,” she said, taking a sip from the cool water he’d left in the cup holder for her. “This is exactly the kind of thing I want to see every day for my painting. I wish I had my brushes and canvas right now.”
She laughed and looked over at him with the most delighted expression on her face. The joy in her eyes warmed his heart and made all of the waiting and worry worth every moment. Aiden had spent the last several nights sleeping outside her house, watching over her. After the last battle with the elder vampire, he wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.
There was no way he would let them get their filthy hands and sharp teeth on his beautiful mate. That meant he had to endure some pain. But he would stand outside in the rain for the rest of his life if it meant preventing the vampires from hurting her.
The view disappeared behind a thick grove of Douglas fir as they ascended the mountain. As the resort came into view, the forest cleared, and a cliff face fell away, exposing the stunning view from the top of the mountain. Winnifred sighed and touched her fingertips to her mouth.
“Wow,” she whispered, pulling her phone from her pocket.
Aiden parked in the lot and she slipped out of the passenger seat before he had a chance to open her door. He had learned it was the gentlemanly thing to do from the movies he’d studied, but Winnifred was already striding across the parking lot toward the view with her camera phone ready to take pictures.
He walked up beside her as she snapped images. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and instinctive movement he was unsure of once he’d done it. She beamed up at him and put her arm around his waist, turning toward him. Winnie placed her palm over his heart and smiled brighter than the setting sun that glowed in her hair and illuminated her eyes.
“If I can’t paint it, at least I can get some pictures for reference,” she said, taking his hand.
He grinned as their fingers threaded together and they walked toward the resort entrance. The place was a grand, five-story, rustic inn, built of native stone and cedar. Inside, the cedar log ceiling rose above them like a pastoral cathedral. Winnie looked around, smiling with wonder as she took in the massive entrance room. They approached the restaurant were greeted by the hostess at the entrance.
“Reservation for Flame,” Aiden said.
Unlike humans, the dragons of Dragonia only had one name followed by the name of their house. The entire crew had been using the surname Flame since they’d arrived. On Earth, it made the crew appear to be brothers, which technically they were not. He was Kian’s cousin, but unrelated to Dax and Cato. They were the four fire dragons brave enough to go against the will of the elders and escape the cataclysm.
Many dragons had chosen to stay behind, to die with their planet. But Kian had taken his crew, his daughter, and left the dying world behind. After waking from a million-year sleep on Earth, Aiden occasionally wondered if it was worth it. But now that he had Winnifred, he knew for certain that it was.
The hostess showed them to their table, and he pulled out Winnifred’s chair for her. Another one of the actions he’d seen performed in the romantic movies Cato had suggested they study. She giggled when he pushed the chair in for her and smiled at him when he sat on the other side of the table.
“Our special today is a Northwest style surf and turf. With wild-caught King crab and locally raised grass-fed ribeye steak. That comes with a garden salad and a choice of sides. Baked potato, steamed vegetables, or rice pilaf.”
“That sounds delicious,” Winnifred said.
“Can I get you anything to start? Beer or wine?”
“We’ll have a bottle of your finest champagne,” Aiden said.
“The sommelier will bring it right over,” the hostess said, filling their water glasses. “And your server will be right with you.”
Winnifred glanced at him from across the table. Her smile could light up the darkest night. She gazed out the window at the setting sun as it streaked its bright warm colors over the rolling hillsides with the slightest hint of the ocean beyond.
The sommelier approached with a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice and filled two flutes with bubbly liquid. Winnifred’s eyes widened as she took her first sip. The wine steward left the bottle on their table and the server approached them with a basket of crusty French bread and a bowl of sweet cream butter.
After they’d ordered the specials, they sipped their champagne and nibbled on bread smothered in sweet butter. Winnifred giggled as the champagne bubbles tickled her nose.
“This place is awfully expensive,” she said.
“It’s a drop in the bucket,” he said.
“Are you like a secret billionaire or something?” she asked with mirth in her eyes.
“Something like that.”
She tore apart her bread and popped a piece in her mouth.
“Tell me about where you come from Aiden of the House of Flames. I usually don’t date paranormal creatures, so you’ll have to forgive my ignorance.”
He chuckled at what he knew was a joke. “I’m originally from a planet at the other end of the galaxy. We left our system over a million years ago. Our sun had been slowly dying for thousands of years. Our elders knew what would happen when the light finally winked out. But old-world politics were exceedingly rigid. Few were willing to make a change to save our people and our way of life.
“As the sun dimmed, the birthrate of our female population began to dwindle. And thus, the birthrate as a whole began to dwindle. The last female born was a Female Prime. Meaning she could mate with any male and bear his young. She gave birth to a clutch, with an egg from each House. The dragons who were willing to leave took the last dragonkin and escaped the final cataclysm. After a great deal of searching, we finally found Earth.”
“What about the vampires? Where do they come from?”
“For millennia, we fought the vampires at our edge of the galaxy.”
“So, the vampires are aliens too?” she asked.
“Alien to this planet? Yes. They were here when we awakened. We don’t know how they got here. But our computer analysis indicates that with the absence of the dragons in our home quadrant, the vampires would have been left unchecked. Their insatiable hunger wiped out the other species in the quadrant in the span of a thousand years. And then they too would have had to find new hunting ground. We don’t know where they were between then and ten thousand years ago, when we believe they first arrived on earth.”
“This is crazy,” she said taking another bite of bread. “I hope no one is eavesdropping.”
“We’ll just pretend we’re talking about a movie.”
The waitress brought their plates and set their salads in front of them asking if they needed anything else. They both said they were fine and Aiden began his story again.
“We were devastated to find the vampires here. When we found this planet a million years ago, we seeded it with the souls of our ancestors, spreading our dragon DNA across the planet. We hoped that one day the primitive creatures who were native to this planet would evolve and carry dragon DNA inside them.”
“So, we are hybrids?”
“Only a tiny fraction of humans have detectable dragon DNA. We call those humans Dragon Souls because they carry inside them fragments of the souls of our ancestors.”
“Why did you do all that?”
“We hoped that in seeding the planet it would enable our fated mates to be born into what has become the human race. It was a last-ditch effort fo
r the survival of our species. When we woke, we found that our experiment had indeed worked. But we also found our ancient enemy feeding on our precious Dragon Souls.”
“You said the vampires prefer to feed on Dragon Souls because it makes them stronger?” Winnifred asked, taking a bite of salad.
“That is correct. You are a Dragon Soul. If the vampires find you, they will drain your blood.”
Winnifred’s face went pale and she stared down at her meal.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t want to frighten you. This night was meant to give you the pampering you deserve. Not to scare you.”
“No. It’s fine. I want to know the whole story,” she said. “So, I have fragments of ancient dragon DNA and that’s why we can be fated mates?”
“That’s correct. Dragons only have one mate. It is the only person we will ever love and the only one we are capable of reproducing with. Except for a Dragoness Prime who can reproduce with any other dragon.”
The waitress returned to remove their salad plates and serve their dinner. Winnifred cracked her crab and sliced into her steak, groaning as the first bites passed through her lips. He didn’t want to burden her with all of this information right now. But she kept asking him questions and seemed so curious. He had to tell her the whole truth because that was what she wanted.
“The Dragoness Prime gave birth to my cousin Kian’s daughter Ember. You can meet them when you come to our mansion.”
“I’d like meet a baby dragon and see your mansion,” she said, taking another bite of steak. “That reminds me. You were supposed to tell me how you’re a secret billionaire.” She chuckled.
“Oh, right.” He smiled, cutting into his own steak. “You see, dragons love gold and silver and jewels. When we arrived on this planet we had a massive horde of treasure. Money is not an issue.”
“Of course you have a horde of treasure,” she said.
They both laughed and ate their steak. Aiden was pleased that he had told her the whole story of how the dragons had come to Earth. The date was turning out well.
Chapter 15
Winnifred had to admit that she was a bit astounded by Aidan’s story. It was all so fantastical. If she hadn’t seen the vampires and his dragon form for herself, she wouldn’t have believed it. But she had, so the explanation was welcome.
It did give her much greater insight into where Aiden was coming from. And she felt much more compassion for him that she had at first. She understood why he was watching over her. And she was beginning to see that it might actually be a bit of a burden for him.
“Have any of the other dragons found mates?” she asked.
“My cousin, our leader, Kian found his mate Everly when she applied for a nanny position for Ember. Our strongest warrior Dax found his mate Aria when she was kidnapped by the vampires. They hunted her for a long time. Even after we had rescued her from the compound, they wouldn’t give up. You see, Aria has a great power. Her song has the ability to heal. But it also strengthens dragons, so we are able to injure the vampires after hearing it. Without the buffer from her magic, we are unable to make contact with vampires.”
“Is that why they kept coming back to life when you fought them on the island?”
“Her power wears off over time, so it is necessary to continue to listen to her song.”
“Do you have the buffer now?” she asked.
“We ran the analysis and found that it lasts for twenty-four hours. Since protecting you is one of our crew’s greatest priorities, I am making sure that that happens.”
“Where are the other dragons’ mates?” she asked.
“They live in our mansion. It is easier to protect and defend one position.”
“Oh,” Winnifred said, realizing how much extra work Aiden was having to do to protect her. “I’m sorry that I’m making you go to so much trouble for me.”
“I can’t force you to just come live with us.”
“I really appreciate that,” she said.
She had feelings for Aiden, feelings that were growing all the time. But if he had taken her forcefully back to his mansion and expected her to stay there, she would have resented him. It may have made it impossible for them to connect after that.
“I could see that it would cause more harm than good to take you to the compound. Aria was already in the vampires’ clutches and in great danger when we found her. We had no choice but to keep her safe in the compound. She wasn’t happy being cooped up in the mansion at first. After she and Dax mated, and she found her power, she’s happy to live with us. But it was a struggle for her that I don’t want to repeat for you. Since the vampires hadn’t targeted you yet, I took you home as you asked.”
“You’ve been sleeping outside my window to respect my space?” She chuckled.
She could see him growing uncomfortable.
“I…” he stammered.
“I would rather have you sit outside my window, protecting me than to be kidnapped by bloodsuckers.”
“I’m glad you feel that way,” he said, his shoulders relaxing.
“I admit that it’s weird. I’m in the middle of a paranormal war, and it sounds like I’m a prize. I’m not so stubborn that I can’t see that.”
“I will always give you what you need.”
She gazed at him over her champagne flute and she took a long sip. Aiden had initially struck her as the typical self-absorbed rock star wanna-be that she knew all too well. But he’d turned out to be the exact opposite. He was gentle, kind, and full of honor. He would do what was best for her in secret, even when she was too stubborn to accept his help.
The server returned, asking if they wanted dessert.
“We have a world-renowned chocolate tiramisu,” she said.
“I’ll have one of those,” Winnifred said.
“Make that two,” Aiden said.
Aiden poured them both another glass of champagne and the server returned with their desserts. Winnie took a small spoonful of the creamy dessert and slid it between her lips. She groaned as the flavor of chocolate, cream, and coffee hit her tongue. There were many delectable desserts available in Seattle, but this had to be one of the best she’d ever tried.
After they finished their meal, Aiden asked her if she wanted to go dancing in the dance hall across from the restaurant.
“I would love that,” she said.
He offered her his hand, and she took it, loving the feeling of warmth and security that washed through her when they touched. She stood, and he guided her through the dining room and then out across the lobby to the ballroom.
A jazz band played soft music for a small audience who swayed on the dancefloor and sat along the edges of the hall. Punch and snacks lined a buffet table and crystal chandeliers cast twinkling, warm light throughout the shadowy room.
“I have no idea how to dance to this,” she said.
“You don’t need to,” he whispered.
The music swelled in her heart as Aiden swept her up in his arms and spun her out onto the polished floor. Winnifred, a street-smart runaway who’d made good, wasn’t exactly accustomed to ballroom dancing, but Aiden’s grace and agility guided her through the steps as if she’d been doing it all her life.
His palm pressed to the small of her back and his big hand enveloped hers as she held his shoulder and gazed up into his eyes. Moving together to the music, with his arms around her and his eyes sparkling in the light, Winnifred felt as if she had somehow stumbled into something wonderous.
Aiden’s story was unbelievable, yes, but now she knew she belonged to that world. There was no going back. And there was no one she’d rather be guided by than him. He had shown her his dedication, loyalty, and restraint. Now it was almost as if he was waiting for her to tell him what to do, to make the first move, to make everything all right.
She didn’t know if she could shoulder the responsibility, but she was willing to try. Her heart throbbed in her chest as she laid her head against his shoulder. Aiden
moved so gracefully it made her feel as if she were graceful too. As if she’d known how to dance all her life and hadn’t just picked it up for the first time. She wondered if everything would feel like that with him. He ran his hand up her back and left a trail of fire along her spine.
She looked up at him and smiled, wishing she knew what to do, how to get closer. It was like there was an invisible wall between them, a wall she couldn’t cross because of her own limitations. If she gave in to the burning desire she’d felt for him since the first moment they’d met, what would that mean? Could she give up control? Could she let him in to her heart?
He moved away from her, twirling her out until their arms were fully extended. He then pulled her back, and she rushed against his chest with a gasp and gazed up into his smiling face. The champagne had left her giddy and her heart light. Maybe she could let down her guard. Maybe she could let love in. She knew she wanted to. And that desire to open up and let her love flow, full and boundless, was growing by the moment. Aiden cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead gently as the song came to an end.
“Would you like to take a walk outside? You can see the entire galaxy up here at night.”
“Yes,” she swooned, pressing her palms to his chest as he rested his forehead against hers.
Outside, the air had cooled but it was still warm. The dim lights of the resorts did nothing to drown out the lights of the stars above. The sky was spangled with a patchwork of twinkling lights, millions of pinpricks sparkling through the fabric of the cosmos.
She gripped the railing of the balcony and drew a deep breath, gazing above her. The Milky Way Galaxy seemed close enough to touch, as if she could just reach up and feel the heat of the stars on her fingertips.
Aiden stood beside her, calm and steady, silently waiting for her to turn to him and tell him how much she wanted him. Winnie ran her hand over his on the railing and turned to gaze into his eyes. They sparkled with the light of the universe and the heat of his inner dragon.
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