At about eleven o’clock, he texted Penelope and told her he was on his way to her condo if she was ready to go.
“Just finished putting on my makeup. I’m starving. Are you ready to eat?”
“I’m always ready to eat.”
“We have a lot in common. I’ll see you soon.”
He headed out the door with a song in his heart and a beaming smile still curved on his lips. He walks downed the street to the florist on the corner and purchased a big bouquet of flowers. He knew every name of each flower by its common and Latin name. But what mattered more was how it would make Penelope smile.
He walked down the street with pep in his step. When he made it to her door, he knocked happily, and she opened it, immediately reacting to his radiating energy. And possibly the flowers.
“These are for you,” he said, handing them to her. He had seen this done in more than one of the romantic movies he’d studied.
“They’re beautiful, Cato. Thank you,” she said, taking the flowers.
He walked into her apartment while she put the flowers in a vase and grabbed her things.
“I’m ready to go,” she said, checking her purse one more time.
They took the elevator to the first floor and crossed the street to his car.
“This is a nice car,” she said, as he helped her into the passenger seat of the SUV.
“My other car is a Lamborghini,” he said, closing the door behind her.
She was still chuckling when he climbed in the driver’s seat and turned his key in the ignition.
“I ordered us lunch to go, if that’s all right. I thought we could take a little drive out into the country. Get some fresh air.”
“That sounds great,” she said.
Cato stopped and grabbed the to-go bag at the restaurant he’d ordered from and started out of the city. They stopped at a county park right on the outskirts of town to eat their lunch. Sitting at a picnic table near the playground, Cato watched Penelope smiling at the children.
“They’re cute,” she said.
“I like kids,” he said. “I’ve always wanted a family.”
“Really? Not a lot of single guys admit that.”
He’d come to realize that human men take their lives for granted. Their women, their children, their families. The dragons had lost everything, even their planet. And now they were here on Earth, fighting desperately to protect what remained. The dragons had been foolish once, too. The elders refused to leave Dragonia as the sun began to die. As the women disappeared and sickness grew throughout the land.
Since the House of Flames had awoken, all of that had changed. Kian was a wise and good leader. He’d understood the importance of family from the moment Ember was born. And when he found his mate Everly, it had all fallen into place.
“Why wouldn’t I admit I wanted a family?” he asked, baffled.
“Beats me?” Penelope said. “Something about freedom.”
“The freedom of detachment is overrated,” he said.
“I’ve got to agree with you there. Me and my sister Flora, we’ve been competing with each other as long as I can remember. Always pushing each other to achieve more. Especially since our parents died. But that meant that neither of us found the love we needed. We always had each other, but now that we’re adults, there’s a bit of an empty hole there. I need to find Flora. Without her, even the best life would not be worth living without her. And I won’t rest until I bring her home.”
“I know,” he said.
“Please tell me what you know,” she said, folding up the paper that had held her sandwich.
“I will,” he said,” I’m just trying to figure out how.” Penelope stood in threw the paper in the garbage can. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yup. But, you’re going to have to figure out how to tell me what you know pretty fast. I did bring my mace. And I’m itching to use it.”
He laughed, not sure if she was serious or not. He couldn’t always tell with her. She laughed too, but stopped abruptly and gave him a death stare.
“I mean it,” she said flatly.
“I believe you,” he said, waving his hands in surrender. “Let’s get going. I have more I want to show you.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked climbing into the passenger seat of the car.
“I looked up ‘best places to take a date in the Seattle area’ on the Internet this morning. There were some excellent suggestions.”
“Is that what this is? A date?” she said as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“If that’s what you want it to be,” he said, merging onto the freeway.
“I’ll have to think about that. It depends on if I have to mace you or not. Macing equals no date. No macing might equal a proper date.”
“Understood,” he said, glancing over at her to check her expression.
She was giggling, so he took that as a good sign.
Chapter 10
Penelope enjoyed her time with Cato. They listened to music while he drove along the coast, headed north.
“I’m going to show you this secluded little beach,” he said. “It’s supposed to be very romantic.”
“Ah, romance,” she said wagging her eyebrows at him.
“You said this may or may not be a date depending on whether or not you need to mace me.”
“Indeed.”
“And what were the parameters that would indicate I deserve macing?”
“Basically, if you don’t figure out how to tell me what you know, Mr. Extraterrestrial.”
“Honestly, I don’t think you want to know,” he said, pulling off the freeway into a rural town.
Cato drove through the tiny town on to the narrow road headed West.
“It’s not far now,” he said.
“Of course I want to know,” she said. “What would possibly make you think I didn’t want to know the truth?”
“It’s complicated, Penelope,” he said with a ragged breath.
“I’m an adult. Some people consider me highly intelligent. I think I can handle it.”
“What I have to tell you has nothing to do with intelligence.”
She sat silently for long moments as he made his way down the rural road. He pulled off onto a gravel drive that led to a gravel parking lot overlooking the ocean. She was so captivated by the site that she forgot for a moment what was going on between her and Cato.
She slipped out of the car and walked to the driftwood fence, placing her hand on the smooth surface. The day was slightly overcast but warm and the steely waters of the Pacific Ocean lapped against the gray shore. The salty air brushed through her hair, sweeping it up behind her and off her neck. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she’d been out of the city. To the ocean. Or had taken a breath of fresh air. It was really nice. She opened her eyes and looked at Cato, standing beside her. He was taking deep breaths and staring out at the sea.
“This is lovely,” she said.
“Want to take a walk on the beach?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said.
He opened his hand, offering it to her. She looked at his eyes for a split second and then decided what the heck. They had already kissed, she driven off into the middle of nowhere with him, might as well hold his hand. She could always mace him later.
They walked hand-in-hand down a rocky path to the shore. She quickly kicked off her shoes and held them in her free hand. Cato did the same and they made their way down to the water’s edge. The cold water of the Pacific lapped up the beach and kissed the tips of their toes. She shrieked with delight as the chill tingled on her skin. They ran toward the receding waves and then ran away as the wave came back. Meandering along the beach, they arrived at a pile of massive driftwood logs under a steep crumbling cliff. Cypresses clung to the edge, sweeping away from the shoreline.
She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, feeling a sense of peace wrapping around her. She immediately felt guilty. While she
was here with his handsome mysterious man, her sister Flora was being held captive somewhere. She was her twin. She knew it in the depths of her soul. Flora was alive, and she was in danger.
“Tell me now Cato,” she said, facing him. “Tell me what you know about my sister. Or we will never see each other again.”
“Penelope. You can’t.”
“What can’t I do, Cato?”
“I have to see you again. I have to.”
“Why exactly is that?” she asked.
He sighed and turned away, gazing out at the horizon.
“It’s all part of the same story. A story few humans have ever been told.”
“Aren’t you human? Oh wait, that’s right. You’re an extraterrestrial.”
“You thought I was joking last night. But the thing is, everything I told you is true.”
She let go of his hand and stepped away, frowning deeply and drawing her eyebrows together in anger. “Now you’re messing with me.”
She started walking away, charging down the beach to get as far from him she possibly could. She wasn’t gonna listen to this crap. If she had to walk back into that tiny town and call an Uber down here to take her home, so be it. He ran up behind her and caught her arm, drawing her back to face him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes.
“Penelope, listen to me. You have to hear what I’m saying. I know this is difficult. And I never should have joked about it. But there are things that humans simply don’t know about. Most of it is considered mythology. Or legends.”
“Stop it, Cato. Just stop it.”
“The information I was waiting for, I got it. Now I can tell you. Now I have to make you understand. It’s critical for my own survival now that you know the truth.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded, pushing his hands away. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“I have no idea how to tell you,” he said shaking his head and rubbing his temples.
“Just spit it out!”
“I can already tell you aren’t going to believe me.”
The waves were crashing against the shore as the tide rolled in, inching its way up the beach. The wind picked up, rushing in her ears, but it didn’t drown out the sound of her heart slamming her chest. She didn’t know what upset her more, his ridiculous story, her lost sister, or the fact that the guy she was falling for was a lunatic.
“No. I don’t believe you. I think you’re messing with me. And I should mace you for it.”
“Penelope, please.”
She reached in her pocket and pulled out the can of mace. She would use it if she had to. But instead she turned away and started marching down the beach. He caught her again, twirled her around and without a word planted a kiss on her lips. She melted in his arms as their bodies crushed together and their lips devoured each other. The heat that built in her core threatened to burn her to a crisp.
She moaned, as his tongue slipped between her lips, and the liquid fire of their kiss rushed down her throat and mingled with the already burning desire at the base of her spine. She erupted, like hot magma spewing from a volcano. She gasped, groaning, pulling him harder against her.
What was she doing! How could she let herself fall for this again? She pushed him away, raising the can of mace, ready to spray him. But then something unimaginable happened. Cato stepped back and before her eyes, his body contorted, changing shape, growing larger, until it was no longer Cato standing before her, but massive red dragon. She thought she was hallucinating. Had he slipped drugs into her lunch? She rubbed her eyes, blinking furiously and looked back at him. He was still there. And he was still a dragon.
As quickly as he had changed form, he changed again. There stood Cato in his dorky cargo shorts and button-up short-sleeve shirt. All that was missing was a pocket protector and awkward part in his black hair. Super Dragon, meet Clark Kent. She turned away, shaking her head as she stumbled down the beach.
“Penelope wait,” he said, jogging up beside her.
“I don’t know what you did to me, Cato. But I am not okay with it.” She walked as fast as her wobbly legs could take her.
“I didn’t do anything to you. What you saw was real. I’m really a dragon. From another planet. So, yes, technically I’m an extraterrestrial to an Earthling. That part was true.”
She turned to him, glaring, her mouth open. “What the hell is the matter with you? You just turn into a dragon right in front of me without any warning?”
He scoffed. “If I remember correctly, I warned you repeatedly. You didn’t want to listen.”
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she held her shoes in her hand. She hugged herself tight, trying to make sense of what was happening. She felt like maybe she was in a dream. That was it! She was dreaming. That kiss certainly felt like a dream.
“Okay. You’re right. You warned me. I get it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go have a nervous breakdown.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to find out like this.”
“You don’t need to apologize for being an alien dragon. You can’t help what you are.”
“I should have found a more delicate way to tell you. But you were going to mace me so…”
“I still should mace you,” she muttered. “You deserve it.”
She stopped suddenly in the middle of the beach and turned to him. “What do you know about my sister?”
“I don’t know exactly where she is, but I do know who probably took her. If you’re ready to know, I’m ready to tell you.”
“After seeing what I just saw, I don’t think anything else could shock me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you. You didn’t take the dragon part very well.”
“I think I took it extremely well considering your terrible delivery.”
“Don’t forget, I did warn you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just tell me about my sister already,” she said sitting on a driftwood log. “Time is running out. While you’re shape shifting on the beach, she is in serious danger.”
“Okay. I’ll start at the beginning.”
“The beginning is usually good place to start.”
He glanced over at her and frowned. “Don’t interrupt me, or I’ll get distracted.”
“Fine. Just spit it out.”
“It all started a million years ago.”
She groaned rolling her eyes. “Are you serious?”
“You said you wouldn’t interrupt,” he snapped.
“Right, sorry. Please, tell me about the story that started a million years ago. Because you’re like totally million years old, right?”
“Technically yes. But that part is unimportant.”
She gave him a side-eye and smirked but remained silent. This was going to be very interesting.
“Over a million Earth years ago, the remaining dragons of the planet called Dragonia, at the far edge of the Milky Way, escaped the planet during a cataclysm. Our sun was dying for thousands of years. And despite all indications, the elders insisted we remain and go down with the ship, so to speak. During the millennia our sun slowly died, the females of our planet grew increasingly rare.”
“So, you are here to mate with Earth girls,” she said, unable to help herself.
“Quiet,” he said. She snorted, and he continued. “The last female born on Dragonia was a Dragoness Prime. That meant she could mate with any male. The Dragoness Prime took the seed of the leader of each remaining house and gave birth to a large clutch of eggs. When the dragonkin hatched, dragoness succumbed to the stress of the birth and passed on. The leaders of each house claimed their dragonkin. Small groups escaped the planet just as the sun imploded into a black hole. We searched the galaxy for new home. And finally, we found Earth.
“A million years ago, Earth was a primordial jungle planet with primitive bipedal creatures. We had high hopes for these creatures that someday, somehow, they could
evolve into beings who could be our companions. We seeded the earth with the souls of our ancestors. The DNA of each house of Dragonia. And then we all went into stasis pods, burying our ships deep below the primordial ocean. And we slept, all this time. Until just a few months ago when we awoke to find that our genetic experiment had worked. The human race had evolved into advanced, intelligent beings. We quickly found that Dragon Souls lived among humans. They are humans with enough latent dragon DNA to be compatible with dragons. Among these Dragon Souls are our fated mates. The one and only match for each dragon. The three other dragons from the House of Flames, my house, have already found their mates. And now, so have I.”
“What does this have to do with my sister?” she said picking up on his hidden meeting about mates. She didn’t care about any of that, she needed to know where Flora had been taken.
“You see, when we woke up, we found our ancient enemy had also taken residence on the planet. When we had left our sector a million years ago, the vampires were still very much in power. It was surprising to find them here, to say the least. But our projections indicate that they most likely devoured every other species in the sector within a few thousand years after our departure. Without the dragons in the neighboring star systems, all other species were left without protection. Somehow, the vampires made it here. They lost much of their magic and have had to integrate into the human social system. We estimate they’ve been here roughly 10,000 years. They prefer Dragon Souls as their primary food source. As the blood of the Dragon Soul gives them far more power than an ordinary human.”
“Vampires?”
“Yes. And this is what I believe happened to your sister Flora. Since you are a Dragon Soul, it is highly likely that your twin is one, too. Somehow the vampires identified her. We believe it is by smell. They haven’t drained her yet, because her blood is probably too valuable to be taken all at once. We have found they keep high-powered Dragon Souls captive and drain their blood slowly. Letting the body regain its strength and then tapping it again. We are trying to find a way to prevent the vampires from feeding on humans and Dragon Souls. We have tried to bargain with them, reason with them, even threats. But nothing has worked. They cannot be trusted. My commander, Kian, had the wisdom to see that this planet needs protection. And we have all vowed to be the Guardians of humanity and Dragon Souls alike. It is our new mission.”
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