Page 4 of The Virgin's Chosen Dragon

“Oh, Barbie, I’m sorry,” she said. “At least I know my parents love me even if they do drive me crazy and don’t see that I’m a person with my own feelings and dreams.”

“It’s okay,” Barbie said, forcing a smile. “I’m used to it. There’s no sense in crying over what I can’t change. I’m going to enjoy my summer and start a new life next fall, one that doesn’t include them.”

“I wish I could do that, but I don’t think that I’m brave enough,” she admitted. “I don’t know anything about the real world, there’s always been someone around to take care of me, even when I didn’t want them to. I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“Well, then, I say it’s about time you learned,” Barbie said, brightening up. “And I’m going to make that my mission this summer. I’m going to teach you how to be an independent adult.”

“I like the sound of that,” she said, smiling at her new friend. “When do we start?”

“First thing tomorrow morning,” Barbie said. “If the rest of your wardrobe looks anything like that, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

CHAPTER 3

***THEO***

Theo climbed the ladder up to the porch of the cabin, but instead of going inside, he walked around to the other side and sank down into the rocking chair. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sounds in the forest around him, glad that he’d taken Max up on his invitation. Nothing was any clearer than it had been earlier that day, but Max had been willing to listen to him, had even understood what he was feeling, something he’d need more than a solution.

Now, his stomach was full, his conscience was a bit clearer, and he was ready for a good night’s sleep, something that had been missing from his life for weeks. Getting to his feet, he slipped into the cabin through the back door, stripped off his clothes, and climbed into bed without even turning on the light. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees around the cabin, and drifted off into a deep sleep only minutes later.

He was in the middle of a dream about Eden when a scream of terror split the silence of the night. It was quickly followed by a second and then a third. Jumping out of bed, heran for the door, slid down the ladder, and raced in the direction of the screams, wondering if the return of silence was a good sign or a bad one. But then another scream, this time much closer, rang out through the trees and awoke his protective instincts, making him run faster, his mind creating terrible images of what might be happening.

Just as a cabin came into view, a woman came streaking out of the door wearing only a skimpy tee-shirt and a lacy pair of panties, her breath coming in huge gasps. She stopped at the top of the ladder, a look of panic on her face, then with one last look into the cabin, started down, almost losing her balance when one of her feet slipped. It took him a second in the darkness to realize that it was Eden, and he rushed over to her just as her feet hit the ground.

She turned and ran right into him, letting out another scream before she looked up at him. “Oh, God, you have to get it out,” she cried, a huge shiver of revulsion making her body shake. “It’s so gross, I can’t sleep in there with that thing……”

“Okay, okay, try to calm down,” he said, instinctively wrapping his arms around her, forgetting that all he had on was a pair of boxer shorts. “Now, tell me what’s in your cabin.”

Eden shivered again. “Some kind of huge monster, it must be three feet long,” she said, burying her face in his chest. “It’s in my bedroom; it hissed at me; I swear it did. I can’t go back in there. I’d rather sleep out here.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said. “I’ll go in and check it out. I’m sure I can get rid of it. Where was it when you saw it last?”

“It was kinda stuck to the wall,” Eden said, making a face. “Right by the light switch. I think I might have touched it.”

“Sweetheart, I think all you saw was a lizard,” he said, looking down at her and trying not to laugh. “It was probably just a gecko. They’re pretty common around here. It’s considered good luck to have one in your house.”

“But it was huge, and it looked at me……” her words trailed off. “Well, it might not have been that big……I still think it hissed at me.”

“It was probably as scared as you were,” he said, slowly becoming aware of their nearly naked bodies pressed together. “Come on, I’ll go inside with you. We can check it out together; I promise it won’t hurt you.”

Eden studied him for a second, then let out a long sigh. “Only if you go first,” she said, untangling herself from his arms.

He knew the moment she realized that he was standing there half naked, and she let out a little “Oh” before her face turned a bright shade of pink. When she looked down and saw the way she was dressed, the pink turned to red, and she tried to tug the tee-shirt down.

Desire raced through him and his body began to tingle and tighten. “I’ll go first,” he said, turning away before it became obvious what he was thinking. “Watch your step on the ladder.”

Not daring to turn around, he waited for Eden at the top, then stepped through the door and walked back to the bedroom. “Here, you might want this,” he said, plucking her robe off a chair. “Not that I minded the view.”

He heard her gasp, then the sound of fabric rustling behind him. “Thank you,” she said, her voice cracking. “I was getting into bed when I saw it.”

“Lucky me,” he said, brave enough now to look over at her, disappointed to see that the robe covered her from head to toe. “Now, where is this monster?”

“It was over by the light switch,” Eden said, pointing across the room. “But it’s not there now, I don’t even want to think about where it is. I hope it didn’t get in the bed.”

He spotted the little creature up on the ceiling back in a corner a few seconds later. “I wouldn’t worry about that,” he said, pointing to the gecko. “It looks like your new friends just found a more secluded spot.”

“That thing is not my friend,” she said, shivering again. “Can’t you get rid of it?”

“I could, but she would probably just come back,” he said, walking a little closer. “She’s picked this as her hunting ground. You might be stuck with her.”

---