Page 49 of Lahaina Noon

“Alright, Jumbo Jet, where are we going?” she asked aloud, and his left ear wiggled.

She had to admit his ears were adorable in this form. Peaked like a cat but longer, they could rotate and swivel to focus on whatever he was listening to.

Ugh, she heard him groan at any part of him being called adorable.

“Sorry, my fierce, vicious looking beast,” she consoled him.

Much better,he agreed,and the answer to your question is Lake Texoma.Drake started to lose elevation, and she saw they were now circling over the lake.

Where on earth are we going to land?, she worried.

Hold on,he thought to her, dropping low above an island covered in trees except for a large bare patch in the middle. He gently lowered himself to the ground like a giant butterfly and settled in. He laid his neck on the ground so Bridget could slide off and then sat back up. He had his massive paws primly placed in front of him, his tail wrapped around them neatly.

Bridget tried very hard to keep the comparison to a proud cat from her mind, as she knew Drake would not appreciate it. She looked around. Although it was late at night, the moonlight allowed her to see the surrounding area. “So, what is this, like your own island? How do you keep people away from here? How do you keep them from seeingyou?” She whirled and looked at Drake, watching the way he tilted his head with the wind, letting it rush over his scales. She understood why he came here. The island’s cliffs were sheer. There was no way to anchor a boat and come ashore without some massive undertaking, which she was sure was something he discouraged.

Clever,he thought,that’s precisely why I chose it. It’s warded, so people can’t see me when I’m here. When I’m not here, it gives off a strong stay-away vibe to any would-be trespassers. On paper, this place is documented as a protected nature preserve for endangered species under the care and protection of Drake Enterprises. One of our many charitable works. I come here when I need to spread my wings and get away from it all. I love basking in the sun here in the summer. Something about this place calls to me.He fluttered his wings a little, then stretched out on the soft sand.Come here,he called.

She obliged and spread the blanket between one of his paws and his head. She sat down, snuggled into him, and enjoyed the closeness of the night air. She shivered a little and wished she’d dressed a little warmer. The wind off the lake carried a slight chill.

I can fix that, he said. He propped a wing around her, blocking the wind. It reminded her of the night prior when they were wrapped in his wings while he’d told her about dragon mates. His scales behind her began to warm, and she realized he was heating it for her, like a giant electric blanket.

She snuggled closer to him, grateful for his thoughtfulness.Do you like to swim?She thought suddenly,I mean, I know you do in your human form, but what about as a dragon?

He chuckled,of course, I’m a fantastic swimmer. Another reason I like to come here. This form doesn’t fit in my pool at home, much to my dismay.

She had another thought.How do you keep people from seeing you when you swim though? Surely, something as big as you moves a lot of water. I’m assuming you can’t breathe water, so you’d have to come up for air, too.She felt, rather than saw him roll his eyes.

Yes,he said patiently,we have to breathe air, although we can hold our breath for a long time. But we use a simple glamour to hide ourselves, like a perception filter. It’s dragon code, per our ruling Council. No unnecessary exposure. You do have some that slip up now and then. Like my cousin, Corran. That idiot. He loves playing tricks on humans over in Ireland. You probably know of him.

She shook her head. She didn’t know anyone in Ireland, much less a dragon named Corran.

Drake chuffed,yeah, you do. You just probably know him as the Loch Ness Monster.

“Shut up!” she yelled, slapping his scales.

He chuckled, the rumble echoing over the water.

No freaking way! So, the Loch Ness Monster is real? Just a dragon with a penchant for pranks instead of some ancient sea serpent? Get out of town.She sat back, thinking about it and laughing. Oh, man those monster-chasing shows would never live it down if they knew it was a dragon intentionally messing with them.Anyone else I should know about?She inquired of him sweetly.

He chuffed again.Well, there’s Pedro, down in Mexico who has a penchant for goats and can shrink down really small.

“Chupacabra!” she crowed, laughing.

He nodded,go up North East, Vincent likes to leap from buildings in partial form, flying around being mysterious.

“Mothman?” she cackled, “Oh, this is just too good. So, what, all monster sightings around the world are just dragons who’ve got jokes?”

No, not all of them. Bigfoot isn’t a dragon. At least, not that I know. And Yetis aren’t dragons. Pissy creatures, moodier than dragons, honestly,he sniffed in disdain.

I can’t imagine,she thought dryly. He growled at her, and she kissed his scales again to mollify him.

“Vaughn Drake,” she whispered, “Tell me about your family.”

He sat quietly for a moment, then described his mother, Mirra. A silver dragon, a quiet beauty, whom everyone agreed was the kindest of all, but stern when she needed to be. She was graceful and fair. His father, Ivan the Red, was rough and ready. A black-haired warrior like him. They loved each other with a passion for the ages. He’d had a wonderful childhood. Lots of cousins and other dragon children to romp around with. Getting into the usual general mischief that most kids do. He told her of the day the Shadow Claw had invaded his village, and although he was almost a man by then, his father wouldn’t let him fight. He hadn’t yet made his final transformation; only then could he be trained in the specifics of his color specialty. They didn’t know yet what color he would be.

“Wait,” Bridget interrupted. “Dragon children are the same color as their parents, yeah?”

He nodded.

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