Page 8 of My Dragon Lovers

“You don’t sound like you’re a fan.”

“They’re not a fan of me,” she said, her eyes flashing with darkness. “I’m assuming Aidan told you who my parents are?”

I nodded. Her mother was Jade, a woman who had left the thunder when she became frustrated with hiding from the rest of the world. She had gone to another thunder, one led by a mortal enemy called Ilvar. He had intended to take the dragons back to our home planet of Drakon, but by doing so he would have destroyed the earth and everything remaining on it. The two thunders had clashed, and eventually Ilvar had been killed. Jade had escaped though, and here was his offspring. From all the stories I heard Ilvar was an evil, horrible man, and yet he hadcreated something so beautiful. It couldn’t have been easy for Kyra to grow up with this shadow hanging over her.

“Aidan was sweet. He tried to convince them to give me a chance, but I knew from the first moment I met them that they couldn’t see past my parents. To them I was something to fear, something to worry about. My mother was a traitor, my father was an insane tyrant who wanted to destroy the world. I guess having lived through that it was hard for them to look past it. They were terrified just by looking at me. I hadn’t ever seen anyone look at me in that way before,” she said, and then went quiet.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,” I said, even though now it was easy to put two and two together.

“I’m guessing Aidan doesn’t like talking about it, but that’s why things with us went sour. He said that we could work through it, that all it needed was time for his parents to get over the idea of being afraid of me. I didn’t want to be somewhere I wasn’t welcome though, and I knew that Mom would never be at ease with it either. She had turned her back on those people, even fought against them. She didn’t want to go after them again and have to eat humble pie. It just felt like there were too many things going against us, not that it was a mature decision we reached. We shouted at each other and fought, and left things bitter. I didn’t expect to see him again and I’ve hated him for it.”

“Why did you hate him?”

She sighed and turned her head to the skies, as though she wanted to lose herself among the stars. “I don’t know, I guess back then I thought that love could conquer all and I wanted him to leave his family to come and stay with me. I guess it was stupid of me, but I wanted some grand gesture. I felt like he was choosing his parents over me, and then I was afraid that maybe he saw the same thing they did. I couldn’t get over that.”

“I see, but that doesn’t really explain why you don’t like shifting into a dragon.”

“Doesn’t it?” she asked. I shook my head and continued staring at her, waiting for her to elaborate. Her shoulders became hunched as she leaned forward. “I don’t want to be like my parents. I’m worried that if I start embracing that side of myself then I’m going to turn out just like them. What if there is some kind of monster inside of me? What if there’s a part of me that wants to destroy the world.”

“I’m not sure it works like that,” I said, my words riding a wave of laughter, although she did not see anything funny about the situation.

“I can’t take the chance,” she muttered. The smile fell from my face and I nodded.

“Okay, well, I don’t think that you are like your parents. Ilvar and Jade did what they did because they had their own instincts and their own feelings, but you’re not them. Hell, you didn’t even get a chance to know your father. You’re your own person and nobody should make you feel ashamed of that. If the elders, in all their wisdom, are afraid of you then that says more about them than it does about you. I don’t think you’re going to destroy the world.”

“Thanks,” she said, shooting me a look, but at least she wasn’t moping any longer. She then glanced back at the cabin. “I think this has been a mistake.”

“Why?”

She sighed heavily. “Because nothing has changed from last time. I’m still the same person I was, and he’s the same person he is. I doubt his parents have changed either. I don’t have a place with you people. Mom was banished, and rightly so after what she did. I can’t just walk back to the thunder like nothing happened. I’m not going to be welcomed there, no matter how much Aidan thinks that is going to happen.”

“I don’t think it’s as bad as you think it is, and you should give Aidan more of a chance. He’s been torn up inside because of this ever since you last saw each other. He’s never forgiven himself for running away from you, and even now he still gets into arguments with his parents about it.”

“He does?” she asked, her expression brightening.

“Yeah. They want him to settle down and find a mate, but he told me that he couldn’t imagine being with anyone except you. He only wants to be with you Kyra, and I’m sure that he’s willing to do anything to make that a reality. He’s his own man now. He’s older, more confident, and he’s not just going to bow down to the whims of his parents. In fact, I think that if there was a choice between you and them, he’d choose you every time.”

She blushed. “You really think that?”

“I do, and I also think that you shouldn’t be scared of the dragon inside you. I don’t think there’s some dark beast lurking inside, and I don’t think you would be capable of destroying the planet. I can’t imagine what it’s like to have Ilvar as a father, but I don’t believe that we have to be the same as our parents. We can each forge our own destiny, as long as we listen to our own desires and our own instincts. You don’t have to be like your parents and Aidan doesn’t have to be like his. But that’s just what I think,” I shrugged. It wasn’t as though I was a great philosopher or anything. I was just a guy trying to make sense of the world, and this was the only thing that made sense to me.

“Thanks Brock, that means a lot to me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been close to anyone like this. I’ve tended to keep to myself.”

“Well I’m glad that you opened up, and that you came here with us. I don’t think you should be hiding from the world. If people can’t see how great you are, then that’s on them,” I said. I let my gaze linger on her. She smiled uneasily, but there was aflicker of happiness too. I knew my heart was already gone, but it was yet to be decided how she felt. After all, as she said, we had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment. Maybe she would decide that she only wanted Aidan after all. It would hurt if that was the case, so I just had to hope that her heart would be big enough to have both of us in it.

Chapter Seven

Kyra

Brock was kind and considerate. He was also calm, and I got the impression that somehow he would even be able to soothe a raging sea. I wondered if I should go over there and kiss him. We had already been intimate, and yet the context was different now. I wasn’t sure if I should go over to him and share my affection. My mind was still reeling. It had all been wonderful and electric, and I hadn’t had any hesitation when it was happening, but it was so new and raw to me. Never before had I thought of being with two men at the same time, and yet it had been so natural. Pleasure had spiked in my body when I realized that Aidan was turning me around to show me off to Brock, as though I was something to be flaunted. I enjoyed their attention and the fact that both of them lusted after me. I had two men, primal and proud and powerful, each one of them bursting with desire for me, and what could have been more flattering?

Yet now the miasma had faded, and things were completely different to the way I had been brought up. I had been lonely, skittish, and reluctant to share myself with anyone. Aidan and Brock could tell me all day long that it was natural for dragons to want more than one mate, but I tried to shy away from my nature. Perhaps this ease with which I had made love to them was my dragon trying to force itself out. If that was the case then should I try and push it back, or should I welcome it and finally embrace it? The thought was too risky to bear.

But I didn’t end up kissing Brock. I thanked him and then shyly turned away, leaving him to enjoy the chill of the night. I took a lingering glance at his naked torso, enjoying the way thedarkness slipped along the angles of his body. My gaze ran all the way down to his pants, which held the part of him that was hidden now, but which I had seen. The heat still echoed against my palms as I thought about it. Being on my knees before them had been thrilling. Making them feel exquisite delight like that had sent me into a delirium from which I had been worried there was no escape. But it had all settled, although now I had to think about the future. What was this going to mean for the three of us? If what Brock said was right then maybe there could be a chance for Aidan and I to recapture what once had been lost.

I returned to the cabin. The fire continued to burn in the lounge area, although it was dying out now. I went to the kitchen and pulled out some toffee sweets. My mouth was filled with the sweet taste, and the sticky substance clung to my teeth. I moved into the main bedroom. The window was open slightly. Aidan always liked sleeping with the window open. A breeze tugged at the curtains. They were open a sliver, allowing dim light to spill over Aidan’s body. He was stretched out on the bed, his arms spanning the entire surface. He was face down, his broad back facing me, the blanket pushed down to his waist. He snored softly and he looked peaceful. I had spent many nights staring at him like this, nestled in his arms.

I perched on the edge of the bed and ran my hand along his back, beginning at the nape of his neck and then running down to the edge of his spine. He shivered and then stirred, cracking his eyes open and smiling when he saw me there. Without hesitation he turned his body and pulled me into him. I let myself fall into his arms, not realizing how starved I had been of affection until he had kissed me. It was as though he had unlocked something inside me, like he possessed the key.

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