The Spare Dragon

3. Date

***Vanessa***

“You okay, Nessa?” Paul asks, looking between me and the child staring at us as my mate walks away.

No, I want to lie, but I know he doesn’t really care. He’s just asking out of courtesy.

Paul is one of the wolves from the Starlight pack, the small pack hosting my stay here in Scotland. While I’m not a member, the wolves do look out for me when other wolves or creatures pass through the area. As a rogue, I’m an easy target for anyone.

“Yeah, it’s nothing,” I say sheepishly. “Thank you for stepping in.”

Paul offers a small nod and goes back to his table while I try to gather my bearings.

“Pssst,” the little girl sitting alone in the booth says. “Did Remus hurt your feelings?” She asks, looking at me with innocence. “He’s a dumb lizard sometimes but he’s really nice. I promise.”

I laugh at the lizard comment, the girl grinning from ear to ear.

“You and your father must be really close, huh?” I smile at her and she bursts into laughter.

“Oh, no. Remus is not my dad,” she giggles. “He’s my … well I don’t know, actually. But he’s my favorite person in the whole wide world,” She smiles warmly. “He’s annoying, but he’s very good to me and he’s really, really sorry for what he did.”

“Oh,” I sigh, embarrassed to have made such an assumption.

“He wanted to come here and tell you himself,” the child grins. “But he’s not the best with words. And you make him nervous cuz he thinks you’re really, really pretty.”

“H-he does?” I ask, feeling a blush rising to my cheeks before scolding myself for already considering giving him a second chance.

Paloma, on the other hand, is more than willing to try again with the dragon.

“Mmhmm,” she nods. “He told me. He also says he wants to go on a date with you if you can forgive him.”

I raise an eyebrow at this.

“A date?” I ask, unable to help the sudden flutter in my heart. “Really?”

He really wants to try this again?

“Yup,” the girl says. “A date. Tonight. Here. 8 o’clock.”

“Tonight?” I ask.

So fast?

I knew our mate wouldn’t resist us for too long! Paloma howls with joy. Moon Goddess always has a plan.

“Ummm…” I hum aloud, the little girl pouting adorably.

“Pretty please?” she begs. “He’s really, really sorry.”

I really shouldn’t, I tell myself, hating how much I actually want this to work out.

I don’t have much of a choice however, as Paloma promptly takes control and agrees.

“We’ll be here,” Paloma says, grinning from ear to ear as she gives me back control of my body and prances around with excitement.

“Yay! I am so happy for you!” the girl says. “I’m Lady Naomi by the way,” she giggles. “The lizard is Remus.”

I laugh once more as she refers to my mate as a lizard before realizing she referred to herself as a Lady.

“Oh Lady Naomi,” I chuckle, doing a small curtsey for her. “Pleasure to meet you, your Grace. I’m most honored to be of service to you today.”

Naomi grins cheekily and gives me a royal wave, the gesture making me smile.

What a peculiar little girl, I think to myself.

I like her spunk, Paloma agrees.

The rich scent of white sage and lavender fills my nostrils and I turn to find my mate walking towards us, his face unreadable as our eyes meet. He stops just in front of me, his lips parting but never uttering a word to me. I had forgotten how ruggedly handsome he is, with dark blonde hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. A thin beard covers his cheeks, chin, and upper lips, which are always pressed together into a tight frown, and while thin, they’re easily the most desirable pair of lips I’ve ever kissed. Despite his best effort, his cheeks turn pink with embarrassment as Naomi giggles at him for staring too long.

“It’s alright,” I whisper, hoping to ease his sudden shyness. “Naomi already explained everything to me. Apology accepted. If you just sit down, I can take your order.”

Remus glares over at Naomi who smiles innocently at him and he opens his mouth to speak only for Naomi to jump out of her seat and climb the table. She stands on the tips of her toes and reaches over to place her hand over his mouth and shush him.

“Don’t speak!” Naomi snaps. “She already forgave you,” she grumbles, Remus and the child scowling at each other.

He lifts her off the table and forces her back into the booth, scolding her under his breath for climbing on the table and apologizing haphazardly at me. Remus then begrudgingly takes a seat and looks over the menu, Naomi giggling to herself for having thoroughly annoyed him. My respect for the little girl instantly grows.

I jot down their orders and return with their food moments later, tingles spreading up my arm when Remus accidentally brushes his fingers against my wrist.

“Pardon me,” he mumbles, retracting his hand.

I walk away briskly, feeling flustered by his hot and coldness with me. For the rest of their stay, I feel his eyes follow me around the pub as I take orders and serve food, growing self conscious about the way I walk, my uniform, my hair, and the way I speak. By the time he asks for the check, I’m exhausted from smiling.

“Can I pay?” Naomi asks, Remus grumbling under his breath as he hands her a handful of notes. “Here you go, Miss Vanessa,” she smiles cheerfully. “Keep the change.”

My eyes widen as I count out the notes.

“There’s over a £100 extra in here,” I laugh nervously, looking up to see them already walking away. “Wait!” I call after them, Remus and Naomi turning to look at me. “She gave me too much. Your bill was only £40. This is £150,” I say, holding out the notes.

“Believe it or not, I can count,” Remus retorts, Naomi stomping on his foot. He curses under his breath, Naomi scolding him for his sarcastic reply.

“You mean old lizard!” she snaps as she turns to me. “I told you he’s dumb. He didn’t mean that. Honest.”

I stare at the girl and then the dragon, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.

“Well, I can’t accept this,” I shake my head. “It’s too much.”

“Take it as a token of my gratitude for not turning me away after what I did this morning,” Remus replies.

While I desperately need every penny I can get, there’s no way in hell I’m accepting this.

“I don’t want your money,” I snap. “I thought I made that clear.”

“It’s not my money,” Remus smirks. “It’s hers,” he says, pointing at the girl. “She paid for lunch today.”

Naomi nods her head in agreement and despite my protests, neither one of them is willing to take the money back.

“I can’t take this,” I say, Remus stalking up to me, his face stern.

I hadn’t noticed how much taller he is than I, but despite feeling small in his presence, I can’t help but also feel safe and protected. He reaches for my hand, folding my fingers over the notes before guiding my hand into my pocket.

“See?” he murmurs as he leans into my ear, his warm breath causing my skin to break out in goosebumps. The scent of sage and lavender fills my nostrils, awakening every cell in my body as I yearn for him. “It wasn’t so hard, now was it?

Paloma purrs contently as his hand lingers over mine before he finally pulls away, my hand missing his touch instantly.

“Cheers,” he mutters, taking Naomi by the hand and walking out of the pub while leaving me a speechless mess in the hall, a small smile curled on my lips.

Normally, I can handle myself well around other men, but this dragon has my brain in shambles. There’s so many butterflies in my stomach and I feel like I might explode from all the giddiness at our date tonight. Reluctantly, I get back to work, putting away the money and returning to the kitchen to serve out orders.

The hours slowly tick away, but I grow excited as my shift finally comes to an end. I make the short walk back to my apartment, Paloma begging me to hurry to get changed and ready for my date tonight. Naomi hadn’t mentioned where Remus planned to take me, so I struggle to find something suitable to wear among my limited wardrobe. I hadn’t exactly had much time or money for shopping and I left the United States with little more than some blouses and pants. Remus seems to be a man of wealth, having not batted an eye at giving a perfect stranger a £110 tip while wearing designer clothing, so I grow embarrassed by how little I own as I stare at the sea of plain clothes.

He doesn’t strike me as the pretentious type, Paloma says. I’m sure your little black dress will look fine.

I pick up the black dress she’s referring to, recalling how all the Lunas called me a w***e under their breaths the last time I wore it to a Luna event. It is a short figure-hugging dress with thick shoulder straps, a criss-cross cut out, a low-cut back, a v-neck neckline, and a small thigh slit.

Normally, I wouldn’t think twice about wearing the dress, regardless of what others thought, but I so desperately want to impress my mate and make him see me as someone worthy of his affection, that I fight the urge to burn it.

Just wear it, Paloma insists.

I just don’t want to give him an excuse to push me away again, I mutter, tossing the dress back on my bed as I think. I don’t want him to think I’m a slut again.

Well, if he doesn’t like it, he can always take it off himself, Paloma giggles, her tail wagging with excitement.

Unamused by her shenanigans, I settle on tucking the dress into a skirt and slip on a black turtleneck for a more appropriate look. I pair the dress with some heeled boots and a large coat before heading out to the pub again. It’s much too cold outside for me to wait, so I sit inside by the bar and order a club soda.

“You look nice tonight,” the old bartender, Lenny, smiles. He’s the only bartender in this town I feel comfortable around. “Meeting a special friend?” he asks.

A giddy smile curls on my lips as I nod and sip on my drink.

“Well, you let me know if I need to hurt someone,” he chuckles, preparing a few more drinks for some incoming patrons.

My stomach is in knots as the minutes slowly tick by and before I know it, I’ve already finished my drink. Lenny serves me another soda and I quickly finish that one too, growing nauseous with embarrassment when Lenny stares at the clock behind me.

“Not the most punctual friend, is he?” he says, attempting to lighten the mood, though it does little to heal my bruised ego.

“Apparently not,” I say with a forced laugh before excusing myself to use the restroom.

I stare at myself in the mirror, pinching my knuckle for every imperfection I find out of habit before pulling out my makeup bag to fix them all, my heart growing heavy as I remember my mother.

“You look great, mija, but..” She would say before picking me apart and hurting my feelings. “Te lo digo porque te quiero, mija, {I tell you because I care about you},” She would explain as I stood before her in tears, pinching my knuckles to soothe myself. “Pero lo único qué te ayuda es qué eres muy bonita. {But the only good thing about you is that you’re pretty}. You’re not like your sister. You’re not very smart. You have to use your looks the best you can so you can find a good husband to take care of you,” She would say. “Who’s going to want a useless, ugly wife? No one, right? So go fix yourself.”

Despite knowing I am conventionally beautiful, I will always see a stupid, useless girl every time I look in the mirror. I just have to bury her under a pound of makeup and a pretty smile so no one else sees her.

Do I look pretty now, mom? I think to myself, once again looking at my reflection with a critical eye.

A girl steps out of the bathroom stall and washes her hands before turning to me with a cheerful grin.

“Your makeup looks amazing,” she smiles. “You’re gorgeous, babe.”

A sigh of relief escapes my lips at the validation, and I thank her for the compliment.

Finding my way back to the bar, I wait for another thirty minutes before finally accepting the fact that Remus isn’t coming. Lenny slides me a beer across the bar, a look of genuine pity in his eyes.

“On the house,” he says, wiping up some glasses. “Shame, really. He’s missing out on a great lass.”

“I think he’s dodged a bullet, actually,” I mutter under my breath, Lenny giving me a stern look.

“Don’t do that,” he scolds. “You’re far too young to hate yourself yet. Plenty of opportunity when you're old like me.”

I force a smile as I look down at my drink, trying to convince myself that I don’t need the liquor to drown out the pain currently swirling in my heart.

How could I have been so stupid to believe my mate would want me back? I chastise myself.

“Excuse me. I couldn’t help but notice you’re sitting all by yourself,” a husky voice murmurs behind me. “Mind if I join ya?”

I turn around and find a very handsome man dressed in dark clothing standing over me, his eyes giving me a once over before settling on my face. He is around the same height as my mate, but long brown hair hangs past his shoulders and piercing onyx eyes look deep into my being. His scent gives him away almost instantly, but I’m still surprised to see another of his kind here.

Here in town, I’ve encountered a variety of species, from wolves, to vampires, to even witches, but never had I encountered dragons before. Now, I’ve seen two dragons in a single day? Was there a nest nearby or had they always lived among us all in secret?

“Are you afraid of me?” the man asks when I stare blankly at him, holding his hands up to prove his innocence.

“Should I be?” I reply, a small smirk curling on his lips as he takes the seat beside me.

“Well, I don’t bite,” he says, his voice deepening as he leans forward toward my ear. “Unless you want me too.”

Paloma snarls at his closeness and begs me to send him on his way, but I refuse. After being rejected twice in the same day by my mate, I crave a distraction, and this dragon offers a temporary escape. I muster up every ounce of false confidence I have left and twirl my hair around my finger, hoping the aroma of my perfume will reach him with the movement.

“Does that usually work for you?” I ask, his face lighting up in amusement as he pulls away and leans back in his chair.

“Not always,” he chuckles. “Just means I have to work a little harder to get what I want.”

“And what is it you want?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Well, you see. I need a partner for drag bingo just up the road there,” he chuckles as I stare at him in bewilderment, pointing north. “None of my mates (friends) want to go with me but I find the shows quite entertaining. A bit of fun from the old boring routine.”

“Drag bingo?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

He smiles cheekily, revealing a row of perfect white teeth.

“Yes, they’re quite fun. Bingo, a live drag show, a quick f**k between sets in the back, A proper good time if you ask me,” he shrugs as I do my best to not jump at the s****l proposition. “I’ll even buy you dinner before I eat you out,” he says, his confidence almost as attractive as him. “So, what do you say, wolf? How about a night out with a creature of the sun for a change?”

No! Paloma protests as I think about his offer. Our mate will come for us. I know he will. Moon Goddess wouldn’t fail us!

I smile at the dragon and reach for my glass, sipping from it while never taking my eyes off him, a smirk spreading across his lips when he realizes I’m considering it.

Think of our Moon Goddess! Paloma snaps. She placed a mate before you. You just have to be patient!

Moon Goddess is punishing me for what I did to Natalia, I retort, now understanding the truth of my punishment. Moon Goddess was anything but merciful. She will never give me a loving mate. Not ever! I’m so sorry you’re stuck with me, and if I could give you back so you could be paired with a better human, I would, but this is our reality. You have to accept that I am not meant to ever find true love. I am destined to be everyone’s pastime and nothing more. My mate will find someone better. They always find someone better. I’ve only got a few good years left before my beauty starts to fade, so please. Let me enjoy this while I can. Let me feel loved, even if it's only for one night. I just want to be loved.

But he loves us! Paloma cries. Remus loves us. I know he does.

I’m sorry, I whisper back. But he doesn’t. He just feels the bond and once I break it, it’ll be as though nothing happened between us. He’ll go back to where he came from and never think of us again. That’s how the bond works.

No it’s not! Paloma protests, but I’ve had enough of this argument.

I turn off my connection before I can hear her cry any longer, knowing I’ll probably regret this all in the morning.

But I need this. I need to feel wanted. I need to be held for a few minutes and feel like a goddess to someone. I need to be told how good I feel, and praised for taking it all like a good girl. I need to be kissed until my lips are swollen, so that all I think about is that one kiss. I need to not feel like a burden to someone. I need to feel desired, to be someone’s first choice, not their second nor their last. I need to be told I’m loved even if it's all a lie. I just need to hear it.

I need this like I need air, and I know I’ll never have it. I don’t even think I deserve it, but I’ll cling onto hope for as long as I live.

“Are you by any chance betrothed, married, or plan to be married anytime soon?” I ask, playfully flipping my hair so he can get my scent. “Or are you perhaps waiting for your other half to come along and sweep you off your feet?”

“No,” he smiles. “I’m just passing through, looking for a good time. Nothing serious.”

“I see,” I say, taking another little sip.

“I’m glad your eyes work,” he says, leaning forward so that his lips are only a few inches from mine. “Have you ever seen the world from a Dragon’s point of view?”

Before I can open my mouth to answer, the delicious scent of white sage and lavender fills the pub.