by Jenna Payne
It wasn’t long before she’d sneaked out of the front door of the house and onto the dirt path leading to the woods far away from the garden. She just kept on pushing forward, knowing very well that the path would soon open up to another main road where she could, she hoped, hitch a ride with an ordinary human passerby.
The moon was shining brightly, illuminating the pathway before her. Along the way, though, she was stopped by a sudden rumbling sound behind her.
“Who’s there?” she whispered in fear. She already knew it was a dragon, but she couldn’t be sure who it was.
From the shadows, a handsome young man came out. She recognized him as Billy, whom a lot of the women had been drooling over.
“Hey, Billy,” Jen greeted nervously. “What are you doing here?”
He snarled and smirked. “I should ask you that question. Does Jack know you’re here?”
Jen didn’t answer. She knew she was trapped. With a baby in her hands, she would never be able to run away from this troublemaking dragon shifter.
Billy crept forward, a devilish smile forming on his lips. “You know, I’ve been watching you a lot from afar… I can see why Jack’s so crazy about you…”
Jen froze, her heartbeat racing in panic.
“If you go with me tonight, I won’t tell on you,” he whispered as he approached her.
Jen was deathly scared. This man had a reputation for seducing various women, full human women included. What was more, he was also known to hurt them when he was out of control—which often happened.
“Please don’t hurt us…” Jen pleaded, hugging her baby tighter.
“I won’t,” Billy said, parting her hair with his hands to reveal her bare neck. He leaned forward and began kissing her.
She moved away. “Maybe we should just go back to the party…”
He laughed mischievously. “I don’t think so.”
Without another word, he put an arm around her shoulders and led her down another path. Her mind was whirring, her eyes darting from left to right, as they walked quietly. She could scream or run, but she was afraid for Brennan. He might get harmed in the process. She would rather just endure what was to come if it meant saving her baby’s life.
She felt tears coming to her eyes. Maybe this is my punishment, she thought in anguish and bitterness. This is what I get for planning to expose the community that had welcomed me with open arms, for turning my back on the man who loved me with all his heart!
Soon they came to the other side of the lake.
“Stand there behind the tree,” Billy commanded.
She gulped hard and tried to keep more tears from welling up in her eyes as she followed him, with little Brennan still in her arms.
As Billy was about to take the baby from Jen, an angry voice came from not far away. “Leave her alone,” the deep male voice said.
When Jen saw the familiar well-built body, the dark hair, and intense gray eyes, she couldn’t help crying out of relief.
“Leave her alone,” Jack repeated menacingly, stepping forward.
Billy faced him squarely. “She doesn’t even want to be with you, King!”
At that moment, Jack suddenly let out a wild roar and transformed into his powerful dragon self. He lunged at Billy who immediately turned to his dragon version too.
Jen ducked and ran behind a tree as the two dragons attacked one another, their bodies entangling in a bloody brawl. The battle became fiercer, moving them toward the lake. Jen could see them breathing fire onto each other, orange balls of inferno lighting up the shimmering waters and surrounding area.
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” she whispered as she watched the combat from afar. “Please, please be okay.”
From the back of her mind, she heard a voice urging her to escape. It was her chance to go ahead with her plan. But somehow she couldn’t make herself move. She needed to be sure that Jack would be okay.
Suddenly she remembered that she had her phone in the pocket of her bag. She hurriedly fished it out and dialed Jessie’s number.
“What’s going on, Jen? Please calm down. Tell me where you are,” Jessie said in an alarmed voice.
Jen related what was going on. Apparently, the other dragon shapeshifters had seen the balls of fire from the garden and were wondering what was happening.
Within just a minute, Jen saw several flying dragons in the sky, soaring toward Jack and Billy. They all breathed fire toward Billy, who slumped to the lake helplessly. He was already badly hurt by Jack, who had slashed Billy with his claws. Now Billy tumbled over the surface of the waters until he reached the shallow part where he stopped moving altogether. He was hardly breathing.
Before the others could fire again at him, Jack stopped them. Two dragons came forward and tied up Billy, who’d transformed back to his human form, greatly wounded and covered in blood.
Everybody left after Jack gave them instructions in a language that Jen did not comprehend. He looked weak, but still in control. One of his wings had been badly hurt too.
A dragon threw a blanket in his direction right before it flew away. Jack slumped to the ground beside the lake, back in his human form, partially covered with the blanket.
Jen rushed to his side as she carried a now awake Brennan. Surprisingly, though, the baby wasn’t crying.
“Oh, Jack, I’m so glad you’re okay…” she murmured, tears freely flowing down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”
“Ssshhh…” Jack whispered, placing a finger on her lips. “You didn’t do anything wrong. That Billy should have been put in dragon jail a long time ago.”
“No, it’s my fault… I…” Jen began.
Jack shook his head, not allowing her to continue. Instead, he forced himself to sit up and give her a peck on the cheek. Then he leaned over to kiss baby Brennan too.
The sweet gesture broke Jen’s heart. She couldn’t say anything anymore, but just continued to weep.
*****
Jessie had volunteered to take care of Brennan, leaving Jen and Jack to talk. The party was over, and everyone had gone back to their homes.
Jack had a small injury on his side, but could move just fine. He’d already cleaned the wound, which surprisingly was healing very fast.
“Are you… okay…?” Jen asked him worriedly.
“I’m fine, don’t worry,” he insisted with a smile. “I actually heal faster than most dragon shifters.”
With wide eyes, Jen nodded in relief. “That’s good,” she whispered. Perhaps that was one of the special abilities of dragon kings.
He was now dressed in a casual shirt and a new pair of jeans. Despite the fact that he’d just come from a fight, he looked quite relaxed and happy.
For a short while, both of them stayed silent as they walked hand in hand across the garden. Jack tugged her around a huge wall of grass and flowers. She had never strolled toward that area before and therefore did not notice that there was actually a pathway behind the wall.
Jen was taken aback by the sight that greeted her. Behind the wall was an old, tiny cottage painted in white and surrounded by lush beds of flowers. It was dimly lit, but still looked homey and pretty.
“What a lovely cottage,” Jen breathed.
“This was my very first home, the one that my parents built…” Jack explained. “It’s got sentimental value so I kept it preserved. Sometimes when I want to just think and relax, I come here…”
In front of the house, he faced Jen and took her hands to his lips. Gazing into her hazelnut eyes, he whispered, “You are the one I want to build a new home with, Jen.”
Jen simply smiled, not knowing how to answer. She knew that he was going to lead the conversation toward the subject of their wedding again.
This time, though, he didn’t pursue it. He intertwined her fingers with his and led her into the well-kept cozy home.
Inside there was just a simple sofa and a carpet on the floor of the living room. But what made Jen’s heart ache was the framed
photo that had been put up on the wall. It showed the two of them with little Brennan right after he’d been born. She never realized how beautiful a family she already had. It seemed as if love emanated from the picture. She’d been too blinded to see how blessed she actually was.
Slowly she went closer to the picture and touched it gently with her fingers. Then she faced Jack again and smiled through her tears. “Thank you, Jack,” she said in a cracked voice. “I’ve never thanked you enough… so thank you, thank you, thank you…”
He smiled back and leaned forward to kiss her, his arms circling her waist and bringing her closer. Immediately she felt her body temperature rise, warming her entire body and making her heart race.
She closed her eyes as she savored his gentle lips on hers. His soft kiss soon turned into a passionate one, and she responded eagerly. Their lips caressed one another, their tongues eventually pushing forward to meet and dance together in an erotic fashion.
Their breathing became raspy as their bodies pressed against each other. She wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing his face much closer while they kissed torridly. His hands began to stroke her back, moving downward to her buttocks.
As her fingers twisted in the strands of his hair, he undid the button of her jeans and tugged her pants down. They stopped kissing long enough for him to undress her and himself. She watched him almost breathlessly, admiring his muscular build and the hardness of his thick, long shaft which she yearned to feel again inside her.
He grabbed her in a forceful manner, which was both sexy and hot, before taking in each of her breasts in his mouth and sucking on her nipples. She moaned in pleasure as he continued. Then she felt his fingers moving onto her wetness and stroking the slit beneath the mass of hair. Eventually he reached inside with his fingers, giving her a pleasurable start.
She felt her wetness growing and the erotic sensations increasing. She was sweltering with amazing pleasure that was fast building up. She moaned louder, repeatedly, as he kept on alternating between stroking her inside and caressing the outer lips.
Quickly the sensations overtook her body, making her tremble all over. She groaned, breathing heavily, and embracing the sexual bliss that enveloped her.
Tugging at her hands, he sat on the couch and positioned her on top of him. She willingly straddled him and pushed herself downward, feeling his cock sliding into her and rubbing against her inner walls in a sensual manner.
Enfolded in intense desire, she moved herself up and down as he continued to kiss her neck and breasts. She screamed in delight as he even lifted his hips to thrust into her deeper every time she went downward.
She felt herself almost peaking again. But then, he paused for a while. With a burst of energy, he stood up carrying both of her legs around his hips and pushing her against the nearest wall. She let out a groan as he thrust into her deeply, pushing harder every time.
She held on tightly around his shoulders, her nails digging onto his skin as the intensified sensations filled her. He kept on going and going, breathing faster and moaning harder. Finally, he reached his climax, his mouth opening in an expression of immeasurable pleasure.
Both covered in sweat, they dropped to the floor still in a tight embrace.
*****
The sound of baby Brennan’s cry woke Jen up. Her eyes shot open, focusing on a familiar white ceiling. Quickly she sat up and that was when she saw that her baby was crying on the bed beside her.
As she took him in her arms, she noticed the familiar bed covers. Brennan was still crying loudly. Maybe he was hungry. She lifted her shirt to let him breastfeed, which he happily did. He latched on, and sucked her milk hungrily.
At that instant, she had the chance to recognize the room that she’d been living in before Jack had brought her to his home. She couldn’t believe it. She was actually back in her own house.
She tried to remember what had happened but could not recall anything about being transferred back to her house. The last thing she remembered was the beautiful lovemaking she’d shared with her beloved dragon shifter in that wonderful cottage.
“Oh, Jack…” she whispered in agony. “Did you return me here?”
When the baby was done, his eyes closed again. She lay him back on the bed. That was when she noticed the white envelope on top of the pillow. It had her name on it--- in Jack’s handwriting.
She quickly opened the envelope and took out the note he’d left for her.
My dearest Jen,
You will forever be dear to me. But I now know that you may never be fully happy living with someone like me. I can’t force you to marry me even though we have a baby now. I just want you to live your life joyfully and peacefully.
Do whatever you need to do to fulfill your dreams and build a good life for yourself and our son. I will have the bank contact you soon for my contribution for Brennan’s future. One of these days, I hope to be with my son again. But please don’t force yourself to allow this out of obligation. When you’re truly ready, I will know. I’ll be around.
I have finally accepted our fate. Thank you for being the best part of my life. I’ll forever be grateful.
I love you with all my heart, Jen. Be happy.
Jack
Jen’s hands trembled as she finished reading the letter. “Jack… Oh, Jack…” was all she could murmur while tears flowed from her eyes. “I love you too…”
That morning, when she’d finally calmed down, she called Melissa and asked her to come over. Her best friend, who had thought she’d moved to a faraway city for a sudden job offer about a year ago, was totally flabbergasted at her story. She did not leave anything out because she trusted her fully to keep it all a secret.
When her story was done, she cried again while Melissa comforted her. “Sshhh… It’s all going to be okay, Jen…” Melissa whispered.
“Oh, Mel! I was so, so stupid…” Jen wept. “And now he’s gone.”
“He did say he’ll be around, right? Maybe when he sees that you want him back, he’ll appear again.”
“When?” Jen asked as she lifted her head to face her friend. “When will I be able to see him again?! I tried contacting his phone but it can’t be reached anymore. I don’t even know where that place is located!”
She was becoming hysterical again so Mel did her best to calm her down. But when Brennan woke up, Jen automatically pushed away her own woes to attend to her child. She was, after all, a mother now. She needed to stay brave and strong for her baby boy.
And that was exactly what she did for the month that followed.
Little by little, she tried to pick up the pieces of her old life. With Mel’s help, she was able to start a home-based job as a lab consultant. She’d completely dropped her dreams of becoming a big name in the field of science. She had even erased all digital evidence of the dragon shifters’ existence and had also burned every piece of hard proof she’d collected over her year with the dragons.
One day, she’d just changed her baby’s diaper when her cellphone rang. The speaker mode automatically came on as she’d programmed it.
“Jen!!!” came her best friend’s shriek. “You won’t believe it!!!”
“What is it? Will you please calm down, Mel.”
“I can’t!” Mel screamed over the phone. “You’re now officially the ‘It’ girl of the industry!”
“What are you talking about?” Jen asked as she gently put on Brennan’s onesie.
“Check the Science Channel online now,” Mel demanded. She put the phone down and sent a link.
Jen tapped on the link through her smartphone. She waited impatiently for the website to load. When the page appeared with her picture and the headline Female Scientist Uncovers Evidence of Dragon Shifters in the 20th Century, she literally dropped her phone on the bed. Her hands flew to cover her mouth. “Oh, my God!” she whispered in shock and disbelief.
As her eyes scanned the article, she realized that someone had sent the documents to one of the biggest
media networks in the city, pretending to be her. The detailed records showed photos and actual locations of some dragon shifter remains, which had already been checked and confirmed by top archaeologists and scientists. The report ended on a hanging note, stating that there was a huge possibility that dragon shifters are living within ordinary humans today.
All of a sudden, Jen’s email and social media notifications began blinking with endless messages from different people. The phone in the living room began ringing too. She checked out some of the online messages, which turned out to be reporters wanting to interview her. Holy shit.
She was still trying to process what was happening when the doorbell rang. Scooping little Brennan in her arms, she went to open the door and almost released the baby when she saw who it was.
“Hi,” he said calmly. “I’m looking for a famous scientist who recently uncovered the biggest discovery of the century.”
Jen’s mouth hung open. She couldn’t believe her eyes and found it even harder to believe that he was joking about what he’d just done.
“If you don’t let me in now,” he continued. “Soon the reporters will be here stepping on each other just to get to you…”
“Get in,” Jen said quickly, locking the door behind him.
Once the door was closed, he grinned at her and Brennan. “Actually, I’m not looking for a famous scientist. I’m just looking for my handsome son and his beautiful mother, the woman of my dreams… You see, I promised them I’d just be around when they’re ready to have me in their lives again. I just don’t know if they’re now willing to accept me, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed…”
“Oh, shut up, Jack!” Jen interrupted, laughing and crying at the same time. She felt both relieved and excited. “Oh, Jack, thank you so much for everything! You didn’t have to do what you did. I just wanted you back in my life and in Brennan’s life too.”
