The Dragon's Daughter

Chapter 4

For a few moments, Kendy felt like she was floating, but then reality hit and with a hard shove against his rough chest, she pushed him away. Her movement seemed to have caught him of guard as a stumbled slightly backwards a few steps. She could feel once more the cold fury inside her. Raising her hand swiftly, but once again, before it could make contact, a death like grip caught it. This time a sharp shooting pain past from her wrist up her arm as she wrenched her hand from his.

“You... you bastard! Leave me alone!”

“If you keep trying to hit me, I’ll keep teaching you better manners.” As if on que he took a few steps closer, but another hand closed on his shoulder at the exact moment that she spun around, fleeing into the trees.

“I think the lady made it clear to leave her alone.”

“You don’t understand.”

 “I might understand more than you think.”

“She’s my mate!”

“All the more why you should respect the no.”

For a moment red flames flared in his caramel colored eyes, but then as the sound, almost like a memory, of a sob drifted on the wind, made him bit back his words. When his eyes this time met the dark blue ones of the older dragon, he followed him wordlessly into the house. The older man was right. He hated to admit it, but that sob had sounded al to familiar, waking up memories he had thought buried.

Turning his head, he watched the older man, seeing how his eyes seemed to linger on the mistress of the house all to many times. As a waiter past him, he made a grab for a glass of wine, emptying it in one go. Yes, if there was someone who would understand about self-control then it would be Daniel, the second part of a dragon-twinship but the one that never got the mate. It was the first time and years that the older dragon had even visited his brother’s home after all.

Glancing down at his empty wine glass, he could feel the smoldering anger. Daniel was right, he had never been good at listening to no, but for the sake of his mate, he will need to learn. A sudden decision made, and with fast and sure movements he moved again for the door. This time when their eyes met, he made a bow of recognition to the older dragon before disappearing out the door.

Exiting the glass door, he placed the glass on a patio-table. Turning to stare out into the night “Find her.” The thought was barely a whisper but this time when his eyes opened they glowed red with flickers of golden light in them and with sure even steps he descended into the garden, following the scent that still hang in the air, one his dragon could pick out between many, many others.

His dragon wasn’t needed however as the came nearer to a large, all to familiar tree. He could hear the silent sobs that tore through his heart the same way it had done when they had been kids. His eyes took in the silent figure half-hidden behind it, the same way it had been almost 20 years ago. Taking in the dress and the long white leg that was so clear for all too see and the reason he had nearly lost control of his dragon inside. His dragon did not appreciate the idea of other males looking at what was his. Slowly, silently he sank against the other side of the tree. Sitting, listening till the sobs finally stopped.

“Why?”

 The words where only a whisper on the wind, but his dragon senses caught the word. “Why what?”

“Why are you here? Why did you come? Why?”

“Your mum invited me.”

“No, now, why did you come?”

“I hurt you. I shouldn’t have, and I wanted to say sorry. May I?”

Slowly a white wrist got extended to him. Taking it into his hand, he slowly let his senses gather it in. A feeling of regret filled him when he felt the break in the balance of the bone, something he had been taught how to do as a child. Tracing it with a fingertip, he let some of his essence flow to support the healing of it. Then softly he spoke again. “You look absolutely breathtaking. You’re so beautiful, you made my dragon lose control the way I last did as a dragonling.”

Getting up, he slowly pulled her to her feet, softer, gentler than previously. Cupping her cheek, noticing in passing how delicate and tiny her facial bones are, compared to his large hands. “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

A nod was his answer but when his lips captured hers for a second time that evening it was gentler, softer and with a tenderness that left them both breathless as he raised his head. Their fingers weaved through the others as they walked towards the shore.

Inside the house, Sheara stood next to Daniel for the first time that evening. “I can’t believe you actually came.”

“Off course I did. It’s my birthday party too, after all.”

“But why now, after all the years?”

His eyes slowly lifted to land on the back of his brother. For a long time he just stood and said nothing. “Because things have changed.”

Following his gaze, Sheara shook her head. “I’m not so sure it has changed that much.” Her voice held a note of sorrow and pain.

Daniel’s jaw seemed to tighten at her words and a look of cold determination set in as he turned and met her eyes. His voice broke no chance for any difference as he spoke. “I have changed, he has and so have you. Things have changed enough.”

Silence settled again between the two as Sheara’s eyes took in the party. When she looked down, her eyes has lost its look of happiness, something that Daniel didn’t miss. “Why did you organize the party in the first place? Neither you nor Darius likes the stupid stuff.”

“Kendy.”

“What about her?”

“She needed a little push, you can say. She’s been locking herself away in the past few years in that beach cottage of hers. When I heard Aakesh is in the country, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. But now the two have both disappeared and she’s probably set back off to her house.”

“Will it help if I told you I saw the two together outside?”

A smile tugged on the corner of her mouth as she turned to look out the patio-door. “Yes it will, it definitely will.”