by Ruby Forrest
Janet nodded in understanding and Fang continued, “I grew up in America. I love it there, but I exposed myself as a dragon while I was travelling through the West coast.” He winced, “Look, I probably wasn’t in any major danger- no one would have believed them anyway…but…” He shrugged, “I suppose I got spooked. I had only gotten the job at the security company and I didn’t want to blow it. The first assignment that came up as out-of-country, I grabbed it.”
He leaned back a little against the couch, “That was years ago, of course. I’ve stayed here ever since, trying to keep my head down. I don’t change into a dragon very often, but I didn’t see another option when you went missing.”
Janet felt awe and warmth burning in her chest. He had done this for her? He had risked everything just to keep her safe, when he certainly didn’t have to. She felt affection for him rise inside of her. He really did care about her. That much was obvious.
She smiled and nodded slowly, “Thank you, Fang. I mean…you saved my life. More than once.”
Fang shrugged, but there was a warmth in his eyes, “Of course I did.” He frowned, “You don’t seem worried by this.”
Janet shook her head, “No, no I’m not.” She sighed, and smiled, “Honestly, I think that you are my knight in shining armor…if you’ll pardon the analogy.”
Fang laughed, an honestly amused sound. His eyes were sparkling as he lowered his head to look at her, “Janet, you’re really something else. You know that?”
Janet smiled, amusement burning in her eyes, matching his, “I know that I’m happy you’re here.”
She reached out and grabbed his hands, “Don’t go again.”
Fang softened, “I won’t.” He took a deep breath, “I just wanted you to be safe, from me, from the guys who are after you, from everything….”
Janet smiled, “I can take care of myself, especially if you have my back.”
“I think that I’m starting to figure that out for myself.” Fang was smiling and Janet felt warm all over, like she had just stepped into a lovely, soothing bath.
She smiled and leaned over, pressing her lips against his. Fang pulled her near, pressing her against his chest. She kissed him deeply, feeling the pressure of his tongue, tasting the sweet, smoky taste of him, feeling his hands carding through her hair. He was here and he wasn’t going anywhere.
She felt complete, felt like he had her back and like he was not going anywhere. It was everything that she could have wanted and didn’t even know that she had been looking for. He felt so good pressed against her, comforting and strong all at once.
When she finally broke the kiss, she was breathless and flushed and she could see the smirk playing on Fang’s lips.
“What?” She smiled.
He chuckled and shook his head, a spark in his eyes as he pulled her close, “I guess I’m not just dating the boss’s daughter, now, huh?”
“Oh no, you’re dating the boss.” Janet purred back, the words rolling off her tongue, confident and sure.
She was the boss, but she knew that they would make a great team together. She needed him and he was the expert in so many things that she was new to. He was so confident and strong and Janet admired him. He inspired her and she liked to think that he did the same for her.
“Lucky me.” Fang purred in return, voice silky and soft as he pressed a kiss to her neck. And Janet knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was right where she needed to be.
Epilogue
Everything had gone through perfectly, just as Janet had hoped. It was perfect. Fang and her were back in America and she was staring out at the beautiful city below them, enjoying the view from their penthouse suit. Fang and her had moved in together a few months ago and Janet was enjoying the benefits as her company grew from strength to strength. She was proud of all that she had achieved, proud of everything that she had managed to do.
She was proud of her relationship with Fang, and proud of everything they had overcome. Everything seemed to be on the right track and Janet couldn’t be happier. She thought of that first day, standing in her father’s office. Everything had changed so drastically since then. Everything had changed completely and Janet smiled- it had changed for the better, at least, in her opinion.
Janet smiled again, thumbing through the well-worn copy of her father’s book. She scanned the last few pages of the book, smiling as she did so. She remembered the last time that she had read this, flying to a new country, with no clue about what awaited her, no clue what she was facing.
This, as well, occurred as the fox said; they carted away the fowl, the princess mounted once more, and they rode on to an incredible wood. At that point the fox came, and stated, 'Ask execute me, and remove my head and my feet.' But the young fellow declined to do it: so the fox stated, 'I will at any rate give you great guidance: be careful with two things; deliver nobody from the scaffold, and take a seat by the side of no stream.' Then away he went. 'Well,' thought the young fellow, 'it is no hard issue to keep that guidance.' He rode on with the princess, till finally he went to the town where he had left his two siblings. What's more, there he heard an extraordinary commotion and mayhem; and when he asked what the issue was, the general population stated, 'Two men will be hanged.'
As he came closer, he saw that the two men were his siblings, who had turned criminals; so he stated, 'Would they be able to in any capacity be spared?' But the general population said 'No,' unless he would give all his cash to the miscreants and purchase their freedom. At that point he didn't remain to consider the issue, however paid what was asked.
What's more, as they went to the wood where the fox initially met them, it was so cool and lovely that the two siblings stated, 'Let us take a seat by the side of the stream, and rest a while, to eat and drink.' So he stated, 'Yes,' and overlooked the fox's advice, and sat down in favor of the waterway; and keeping in mind that he didn't speculate anything, they came behind, and tossed him down the bank, and took the princess, the steed, and the winged animal, and went home to the ruler their lord, and said. 'This have we won by our work.' Then there was incredible celebrating made; yet the steed would not eat, the winged animal would not sing, and the princess sobbed.
The most youthful child tumbled to the base of the waterway's bed: fortunately it was about dry, yet his bones were relatively broken, and the bank was steep to the point that he could discover no real way to get out. At that point the old fox came yet again, and chastened him for not following his recommendation; generally no insidiousness would have come to pass for him: 'Yet,' said he, 'I can't abandon you here, so lay hold of my tail and hold quick.' Then he hauled him out of the waterway, and said to him, as he got upon the bank, 'Your siblings have set watch to slaughter you, on the off chance that they discover you in the kingdom.' So he dressed himself as a poor man, and came furtively to the lord's court, and was hardly inside the entryways when the stallion started to eat, and the winged animal to sing, and princess left off sobbing.
At that point he went to the lord, and disclosed to him every one of his siblings' roguery; and they were seized and rebuffed, and he had the princess given to him once more; and after the ruler's demise he was beneficiary to his kingdom. A drawn-out period of time after, he went to walk one day in the wood, and the old fox met him, and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him, and remove his head and feet. Also, finally he did as such, and in a minute the fox was changed into a man, and ended up being the sibling of the princess, who had been lost a considerable number of numerous years.
***
“What are you reading?” Fang was behind her, his arms sliding around her waist. It didn’t feel like he was wearing a shirt and it made her shiver to imagine his skin pressed against hers.
Janet laughed, a soft, comfortable sound, and shook her head softly, “Just an old fairytale.”
“Oh?” He smirked, amusement playing in his eyes, “Has your fairytale come true?”
Janet la
ughed and turned into his arms, pressing softly against his chest, “No way.” She leaned up and kissed him, her lips lingering against his, “I think I like dragons a lot more than foxes.”
THE END
Snow Leopard Protector
Prologue
The snow leopard stood, proud and tall. Hanna- Gale could see him standing atop the mountain, surveying his domain. He was so proud, and standing so tall. Hanna- Gale couldn’t help but admire him, couldn’t help but see majesty in his stance, in the way that he looked over his people, over the millions scattered across the earth.
Somehow, even though she could not see them, Hanna- Gale knew that there were millions down there, millions around the world who were aligned with this magnificent creature. She felt like her breath had been taken away from her in a sudden rush, in a beautiful rush of air and breathlessness. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, feeling the sensations catch in her throat and tighten in her chest, an ache that she could not let go of, an ache that was lingering in the background and refusing to let go of her.
She loved it, loved watching this creature, watching the muscles that bunched beneath his skin, watching the rise and fall of its breathing and the ways his chest tightened and relaxed, expanded and contracted with each breath. He looked so powerful standing there, so strong towering above everyone, a force to be reckoned with, someone who should not be messed with, or argued with. There was a magnetism about him that Hanna- Gale could not ignore. There was a strength that rippled through him, a power that she could not deny, something about him that was drawing her closer and closer and closer.
She could feel the way that the air seemed to ripple around him and it touched something deep inside Hanna- Gale. She felt a freedom, a longing, and an ache that she had never felt before and did not know what to call it. It was something that was calling her to him and she could not turn away. Something about his eyes as he stared out into the distance.
It was a mysterious force and Hanna- Gale didn’t know how or why it was working on her, didn’t know what to do or what to say or how to act. She shuddered, feeling herself move, as if in a trance. One foot moved a step forward on its own, tentative and hesitant. Then the second foot followed, stepping into the unknown, stepping into a world that she had never before experienced, or even heard about.
Her body seemed to be moving on its own, stepping out into the great unknown, stepping out into something new and strange and different in so many ways. She didn’t know what lay ahead, and she didn’t know what was waiting for her. But Hanna- Gale stepped forward, one foot at a time, moving out into the unknown, with no one but herself to offer guidance, no one but herself to help her move forward, move onwards.
And yet, she had to move, had to move forward and keep going, had to keep moving until she found the place where she needed to be. And she had a feeling, a feeling deep inside of her, that she was meant to be here, meant to move towards the snow leopard that was standing so proud on the mountain, who was watching over everyone with such strength and dignity and grace, who was not about to quit or give up or move away. He was strong, he was confident and she needed to be by his side.
She needed to get to him. She took a step, moving closer and closer, approaching him faster and faster, feeling the breath on her skin as she gasped, her breathing coming in short, sharp pants as she ran towards him, ran towards him and felt the pressure on her skin, on her body. She felt the ache in her chest as she approached and got closer and closer.
The snow leopard turned around, fixing his eyes on her, those beautiful, yellow eyes that seemed to stare into her soul, seemed to stare into her very mind and capture her with the intensity, with the way that he wouldn’t look away, the focus, the breathless way it made her feel, the tension that caught in her chest and left her gasping and shaky and wanting to be closer already.
The draw to him was spiritual, was more intense than anything that she had ever felt before and she could not turn away. She could not turn away from this leopard, this creature with such strength, the creature who would guide her, keep her safe and bring her the type of fulfilment that she had been craving and needing and wanting for the longest time, that she had been so desperate for, for the longest time. She needed it, ached for it, wanted the fulfilment and the purpose in her life, and wanted to feel whole again.
She needed this. As she approached, it hit her all over again. The snow leopard stood, proud and tall. Hanna- Gale could see him standing atop the mountain, surveying his domain. He was so proud, and standing so tall. Hanna- Gale couldn’t help but admire him, couldn’t help but see majesty in his stance, in the way that he looked over his people, over the millions scattered across the earth.
Somehow, even though she could not see them, Hanna- Gale knew that there were millions down there, millions around the world who were aligned with this magnificent creature. She felt like her breath had been taken away from her in a sudden rush, in a beautiful rush of air and breathlessness. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, feeling the sensations catch in her throat and tighten in her chest, an ache that she could not let go of, an ache that was lingering in the background and refusing to let go of her.
She loved it, loved watching this creature, watching the muscles that bunched beneath his skin, watching the rise and fall of its breathing and the ways his chest tightened and relaxed, expanded and contracted with each breath. He looked so powerful standing there, so strong towering above everyone, a force to be reckoned with, someone who should not be messed with, or argued with. There was a magnetism about him that Hanna- Gale could not ignore. There was a strength that rippled through him, a power that she could not deny, something about him that was drawing her closer and closer and closer.
She reached out a hand, reached out towards him, longing to pull him in and draw him close, to feel him near again, feel something, anything. She was so close, so close, and so close. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears-
Hanna- Gale woke up with a start, sweat pouring from her skin. Just a dream, she reassured herself. Just a dream.
Chapter 1
Hanna- Gale hadn’t been back in this city for what felt like years. It probably had been, in fact. She had vague recollections of family get-togethers in a large, forgotten house, classy and elegant. She had sharp recollections of her mother wiping her eyes as they drove home, after hours of being snubbed as the low end of the family. They hadn’t mixed with the rest of their family much- a bunch of snobs, if Hanna- Gale was being completely honest.
Hanna- Gale was your average run of the mill kind of girl anyway, growing up in suburbia, going to a good school, going to activities after hours and making sure that she always got good grades. She was pretty average in every way, really. A small part of her heart would ache, longing for more in a quiet way that let Hanna- Gale know it was there, it was listening, it was waiting for a great opportunity to come along,
When Hanna- Gale got the phone call, she was almost knocked sideways. Sitting on her couch, curled up and sipping on a cup of coffee before it was time for work, Hanna- Gale hadn’t expected to receive the phone call. It had been from a lawyer of all things, a lawyer who was telling her she needed to come to an estate reading as soon as possible. It had been on that afternoon, and Hanna- Gale couldn’t believe it.
After confirming several times, she’d decided to phone in at work and take the day off. Then she had hurried to get changed and ready, wearing something dark and formal and appropriate. It was perfect. Hanna- Gale didn’t feel much sorrow for the man who has passed away. He was an uncle without children. His wife had passed away earlier and Hanna- Gale couldn’t remember them much at all.
She had slight recollections of attending a party or two there when she was a little girl, but that was all. No Christmas cards, no nothing. Hanna- Gale was surprised to be called to the reading of the will, but Hanna- Gale had been raised with manners, and she saw no choice but to attend.
The will reading h
ad been a few towns away, and it was a good long drive. When she had arrived, she had been ushered inside the lawyers little office and seated with a few other people that she didn’t know at all.
The will had been read, money, assets and property divided up. He had been a wealthy man, that was certain, and Hanna- Gale could not help the curiosity that was curling around her stomach, lurking at the corners. When her name was read, Hanna- Gale held her breath, only to let it out in an unsightly rush.
The house. The big fancy house that she remembered from childhood recollections. High ceilings, many rooms, several floors. It must have been worth a lot, being in the centre of town. For a while, Hanna- Gale had just stared in a detached sort of awe and disbelief.
These sort of things just didn’t happen to her, not to her. She was going insane. Hanna- Gale took a deep, shivery little breath as she confirmed what she had just heard. Then the will reading went on as if nothing has ever happened.
Hanna- Gale went home feeling stunned and shaky and the drive had passed in a blur. She’d just inherited a whole house, and a big one, from family she barely knew. She felt dizzy, and she never wanted to let go of the feeling.
Over the next few days, she received the paperwork, which she signed and sent off. She also received a detailed note, explaining that no one had lived there for some years, her uncle fearing a little poorly.
Keys were enclosed and Hanna- Gale felt giddiness sweep her up all over again. She had taken some time off work, packed a bag and decided to go and have a good look at this house, the house that was now hers.
Hanna- Gale stood outside the house now, staring up at it in all its splendour. There was no doubt that it needed work- the structure was great, but the flower beds were overgrown and a new coat of paint would be a really great idea, if she could get away with it. She had a feeling the inside was the same, but for some reason, Hanna- Gale felt apprehension licking at her heels. She had every right to be in this house, but somehow, she still felt nervous, like she would be called out for trespassing.
