“I am.” He nodded at her and picked up his tools again.
Chapter 12
Rainey
Rainey took a deep breath and pressed the dial button on her phone. A second later, she pressed the end call button and dropped her phone on the kitchen table. Again. She’d been dreading making the phone call and spent the last two and a half hours dialing and hanging up. She’d also had two glasses of orange juice, three cupcakes, one ice cream, and five cups of coffee while coming up with a long list of reasons why she shouldn’t make the phone call. She kept on adding new items to the list, but they still didn’t outweigh the arguments in favor of the call. She knew she had to do it. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was the right thing to do, and the more she postponed it and thought about it, the more nervous she got. She picked up her phone from the table and dialed yet again.
“Rainey, thank god! Finally!” The voice on the other side of the line exclaimed five long seconds later. “Where have you been? It’s been almost two weeks since we last spoke! I’ve called you so many times, left so many messages. We’ve been worried sick about you. It’s not like you to disappear like that. Did you see my message about the dinner at the Haringtons tomorrow? I thought you might want to wear your blue dress, the one you wore at the Christmas party last year. You looked so beautiful in it. We—”
“Mom—” Rainey tried to interrupt the hurricane of words coming her away.
“We’re taking a cab from here, so I thought you and Dwayne could come over and we’d travel together.”
Rainey took a deep breath. Her mother was unstoppable.
“Or shall we come and pick you up? Yes that’d be—”
“Mom, please listen to me.”
“It’d be more convenient. You both work such long hours, especially Dwayne. How about six—”
“Mother, I broke up with Dwayne.”
“Thirty or maybe sev—” Her mom stopped. “What did you just say, darling?”
“Mother, I broke up with Dwayne. It’s over,” Rainey said.
“Dear, what have you done?” Her mother’s voice went up a few notes. “Are you not feeling well?”
“I’m feeling very well. Much better than I have felt in a long time, actually,” Rainey said. “Dwayne wasn’t treating me well. He never has.”
“But he always takes you on such amazing vacations and—” her mother argued.
“Yes, mother. Being called a stupid bitch felt much better on the golden sands of the Californian coast,” Rainey said.
“I’m sure you can patch things up, dear,” her mother insisted.
Rainey raised her voice. “I don’t want to patch things up. That relationship was a nightmare. Dwayne is a horrible person, who has been mistreating me and abusing me for years.”
“He’s always been so kind and—”
“Yes, when people were watching,” Rainey said firmly. “That’s when he was kind. When other people were around. But when it was just the two of us, he treated me in a way no human being should be treated. Calling me names, oppressing me, making me doubt myself, isolating me from my friends. Don’t you see what that is? It was happening under your noses. But you didn’t see it, did you? Maybe you should have looked harder!” Rainey chest heated up and there was a big lump in her throat.
“Dear, why don’t you come over and we’ll talk about this face to face?”
Rainey laid her hand on her chest and took several deep breaths that shuddered in her throat. As she had expected, her mother was not going to give up her illusions that easily. But it was causing her even sharper pain. “Mother, Dwayne hit me. He threw things at me. Books, plates, vases. Whatever he first got his hands on when he’d get angry. He slapped me. There isn’t a single part of my body that he hasn’t injured. Except for my face. He never hit me on the face because he knew the bruises couldn’t be hidden. Is that what you want to hear?” Rainey was shouting now. “That I am ashamed of myself and of my body because it still bears the marks of that horrible relationship?” She clenched her teeth to prevent herself from crying. Her body was shaking all over. “Well, there you go. You know it all now.” She paused and tried to get her breathing under control. “I love you, and dad, and I will be forever grateful for what you have done for me, but I cannot marry a man who hits me, just to make you happy and proud,” she finished and hung up the phone.
Rainey collapsed on the sofa and burst into tears. She had known it would go down that way, but the knowledge didn’t make it any less painful. Her parents were so caught up in the world of pretense, illusions, and lies that they and their friends inhabited, they’d refuse to accept the truth even when it was screamed in their faces. They were good people, but their weaknesses and insecurities did bad things to them.
They’d come around eventually. They’d understand. Or maybe they wouldn’t. The important thing was that she had made the right decision. And that it was over.
She felt lonely and misunderstood, but she was also lucky. She was so lucky to have one person who believed in her, supported her, and never questioned her. Boreas was her savior. Her rock. Her hero. He was vital to her. She would have never managed to take this step in her life if it hadn’t been for him. He helped her believe in herself. He made her stronger than she had ever been, and she would be forever grateful to him for that.
And that kiss…it had shaken her to her core. She’d been thinking about it non-stop, trying to relive every touch, every sensation, every breath they shared while their mouths were on each other’s. And most of all, she remembered how the world felt then. How unscarred and beautiful it was. For one fleeting moment, there had been no pain, no sadness, no fear. Just Boreas’s big, kind eyes, and the flame of hope that he lit within her. And she would hold onto that memory with everything she had.
She wished that hope could last forever, too. But it just couldn’t. There was too much ugliness in her, too much darkness. Boreas had told her she was pure, not tainted, and while they kissed, she felt pure. But that was because, for that short moment, she had forgotten about the shame and humiliation she felt toward herself.
At least she had that kiss. And she would always cherish it, love it, and relive it over and over again. It was the first beautiful kiss of her life and no one could take it away from her. No one could taint it. It was hers to keep, to bring some rays of light into the darkness of her life.
Her phone chirped with a new voice message, and she was surprised to see she’d had a few missed calls from an unknown number. She must have been so deep in her thoughts she hadn’t felt her phone vibrating. She dialed her voicemail, and her heart skipped a beat when she heard Dwayne’s voice. “I’ve heard what you’ve done,” he hissed. “You think that telling your parents makes this any more real. You’ve got no idea what’s coming your way, Rainey Hampton. You stupid, useless bitch. You will live to regret the day you decided to humiliate me,” he spat, and the recording went dead.
Rainey switched her phone off and resolved to buy a new sim card tomorrow. Dwayne had called her every hour of every day since she’d broken up with him and had left more than twenty messages. She hadn’t listened to any of them, but he’d been smart to hide his number that time, and she’d fallen for it. No more, she promised herself.
The upbeat sound of Jingle Bells interrupted her thoughts, and she dashed to the bathroom to check she looked all right before answering the door. Her eyes were a little red, and she splashed some water on them and dried her face quickly before heading for the door.
“There you are.” Boreas grinned at her from a gap at the side of the curtain-door. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Sorry, I had to do something,” she said, waving her hand self-consciously. “How did it go?”
“Great.” His face brightened up even more. “The first cabin has been completed!”
“Woohoo!” Rainey thrilled. “That’s fantastic. Congratulations!”
“Xephyr and Josie are coming back the week after next. I don’t know if we
’ll be able to finish all the other cabins as I’d intended, but at least we have something to show for our time,” Boreas said. “Do you want to see it?”
“Of course I do,” Rainey said and followed him down the veranda steps.
As they walked toward the cabin, Boreas was telling her about a new Dragn Protection client whom Ciro had found roaming alone in the mountains in the middle of the night, wearing a long, red evening dress.
Rainey frowned. “That’s a bizarre outfit and time for a hike. I sure hope she’s okay.”
“Here she is,” Eurus’s voice came their way as they reached the newly built cabin, and all the men but Aquilo and Caden emerged from behind the cabin.
“Surpriiiiiise,” they all called.
Rainey looked at them and the cabin in astonishment. The cabin was wrapped in a red ribbon, and the guys stood on each side of it in two groups. Quinton stepped forward with a giant pair of scissors in his hand.
“We were wondering if you would like to cut the ribbon on our first cabin?” Boreas asked. “We could never have built it so well and so quickly if it wasn’t for you.”
“And we wouldn’t have had so much fun,” Notus added.
“We’ve also named the cabin after you, in your honor and as a token of our gratitude,” Boreas explained and pointed to the top of the structure. About a meter below the roof, in the middle of the front wall, was a wooden plaque. Engraved in beautiful ornamental letters painted in red was Rainey’s name.
“Oh, guys,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m so touched. Thank you.” She looked at Boreas, who was standing next to her, and then at the rest of them. “Thank you for accepting me here during these last weeks. You’ve been like a family to me.” She took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. “It will be my honor to cut the ribbon. And I’m so touched to have the cabin named after me. I know I’ll have to leave the island soon, but I’ll be so happy that a piece of me will stay here forever. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Rainey,” they each said, and one by one came up to her and gave her a hug. She then took the scissors from Quinton and cut the ribbon to the applause and cheers of everyone. When she was done, Eurus handed each of them a glass of Firesource, and they toasted to the new cabin and Rainey.
They spent the next half hour in festive cheer, laughing and joking, recalling all the funny moments they’d had during the classes and construction, before some of the guys had to head for the Dragn Protection office and the others had to start work on the second cabin.
“I was actually planning to leave tomorrow,” Rainey said to Boreas. “So I’m really glad I got to see the completed cabin before that.”
“Are you sure?” Boreas asked. “Why don’t you stay a little longer?”
Rainey let out a sigh. “I need to sort out my life. I need to find a new house, a new job.”
“Well, I’m taking the afternoon off today,” Boreas said. “Would you like to go for one last walk here? I could show you some more of the island, and we could maybe have a picnic somewhere?”
“I sure would!” Rainey said. “I love picnics.”
He gave her a slow, playful smile. “I know you do. You might have mentioned it once.”
She chuckled. “I’ll go and get some food from my cabin.”
“You don’t need to. I’ve prepared everything.”
“Wow,” Rainey said. “If you’re not careful, I may stay on the island forever.” She smiled at him.
“That’d be alright with me,” Boreas said. “I’d even make you a picnic everyday, if that’s what you wanted.” They both laughed, but she had the sense that he was kind of serious.
They spent an hour walking around the island with Boreas showing her some parts she hadn’t seen yet. It was bigger than she’d imagined, and although there was no vegetation besides a little garden that surrounded a small lake, it was one of the most beautiful places she’d ever seen.
“How have you been sleeping?” Boreas asked her.
“Better. I’ve been getting about six hours of uninterrupted sleep recently,” Rainey said. “I think that hasn’t happened since high school.”
“That’s really good,” Boreas said. “I can see it on your face. You look as fresh as a daisy.”
He was unusually quiet, as if there was something on his mind, but she knew he’d tell her if he wanted to, and she didn’t want to push him.
“By the way, what happened with the client in the red dress?” Rainey asked. “I didn’t hear the end of the story.”
Boreas laughed. “Well, it turned out she’d had a couple of drinks. She had a half-drunk fifth of Jack Daniels in her bag and another empty one. She’d been celebrating her promotion at work and somehow roamed into the forest afterwards. She said she’d always wanted to sleep outdoors, and it felt like a good time to try it.”
“Wow. It sounds like she knows how to party,” Rainey said and they both chuckled.
They found a nice spot on the edge of the grass by the small lake where they set up their picnic. Boreas had brought a blanket, and when he spread it out on the ground, Rainey was surprised to see it was embroidered with the image of a dragon. It was very colorful, and she could see a lot of work had gone into it.
“That’s so cool,” she breathed.
Boreas smiled and nodded. “I thought you’d like it.”
He opened his backpack and took out the food he’d brought. There were cheese, cold cuts, bread, pasta salad, fried chicken, potato salad, cookies, watermelon, and some lemonade and beer.
“Wow, this is a picnic!” Rainey exclaimed.
“Dig in,” Boreas invited. “I’m starving.” He handed her a paper plate. They filled their plates with food and ate hungrily.
When they’d eaten their fill, Boreas handed her a beer and took one for himself. They clinked them together and took a sip from their bottles. It was still cold, and delicious. Boreas cleared the food to one side to make space for them and laid on his back, hands under his head.
“This is nice,” he said, exhaling contentedly. “I always feel good around you, Rainey.”
“I feel good around you, too,” she said slowly and laid down next to him.
He pulled his right hand from under his head and took one of her hands in his. His fingers were callused but the skin was soft, and she liked the way his hand enveloped hers. A tingly sensation ran all the way through her body, culminating in a blossoming warmth between her thighs.
They lay like that for a while, not speaking, just looking at the sky and holding hands. Then Boreas propped himself up on his right elbow and looked into her eyes. He didn’t say the words, but she knew what that look meant, and she felt it, too.
“I would never hurt you,” he said and moved away a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes.
“I know. But love always means pain to me,” Rainey said and turned her gaze away. “I’m not cut out for it—” She broke off. “Dwayne was my first real boyfriend, and he’s screwed up anything I believed about love. I might look like I’m fine on the surface, but all I’ve got left is darkness, Boreas, and I don’t want to bring it into your life.” Tears welled in her eyes. “You deserve much better than that. You deserve to be with someone who can give you all the love and happiness there is.”
“I don’t want anyone else, Rainey. I want you. And I think we’re fated to be together,” Boreas told her.
She shook her head. “I can’t have a relationship, Boreas. I’ve got nothing left. It’s like when someone breaks a horse in badly, and they break its spirit too. I’ve got baggage, as they say. And that’ll be with me forever.”
He regarded her very seriously. “I think you just believe that because your mood is low, and you’re trying to process your last relationship, probably blaming yourself for wasting years on Dwayne.”
She shrugged minutely.
“You’re a very joyful person, Rainey. You haven’t lost your youthful enthusiasm, and that’s
a precious thing. You’re nothing like a broken horse. You’re more like—” He gazed up at the sky for inspiration. “A dragonlet that’s had a hard landing when it’s first starting to fly. It gets scared at first and loses its nerve, but then the excitement of flying lures it back again.”
She peered at him through her eyelashes. There was such earnestness and affection in his expression that she wanted to take hold of him and pepper his face with kisses.
Instead, she sighed. “Even if I wanted to have a relationship, I don’t know how. I don’t know what the rules are for a pain-free relationship when you’re an adult. The only relationship that didn’t hurt was the one I had with my kindergarten boyfriend.”
Boreas’s brows drew together, making him look very thoughtful and smart. “What were the rules when you were a kid?” he asked.
Rainey allowed herself a small smile. “You hold hands sometimes. You give each other little gifts. You share your lunches and you play chase.”
“Okay, well, we can start with that.” Boreas nodded gravely. “I like giving gifts. But how do you play chase?”
Rainey laughed. “One of us runs and the other one chases,” she explained. “Have you never played chase before?”
“No. We had different games in Ethereum. Let’s try it.” Boreas stood up and stretched his hand out to her.
“You serious?” Rainey was amused by his suggestion.
He gave her an extremely solemn look. “Yes, of course. How else can we know if we can be a kindergarten couple?”
“I don’t know about this,” she muttered, but she took his hand, and he pulled her up.
“You run, I chase,” Boreas said.
“Okay. Count to five before you come after me.” She spun around and ran away.
She heard Boreas counting and then the sound of his feet pounding on the ground as he sprinted after her. She was a good runner, but he was fast, too, and he had the added advantage of being much taller than she was. He caught up with her within half a minute, grabbed her in his arms, and turned her to him.
Boreas Reborn_Dragon Shifter Romance Page 10
