The Endless Series Book Two The Dragons Heart

Chapter Seven: Bradley Endless

CHAPTER SEVEN

BRADLEY ENDLESS

I’d been locked in the attic, as if I were a petulant child behaving badly. “Come on, you guys!” I called. “She didn’t get hurt. It’s fine.” I banged on the door.

“Sorry brother,” said Louisa from the other side, “gatekeeper rules. You are a faerie creature endangering human life. I can’t let you leave, not at least until the heat calms down, which it won’t do until tomorrow morning.”

“This is ridiculous,” I insisted, “Ben, come on. You’re the cool one of the group, let me go. You’re American. It’s practically in your DNA to be the rebel. This is an injustice!”

“So is scaring young women,” Louisa called, “you are staying there until you calm down. The three of us are going to be alternating in shifts. I’m taking the first one, and I’ve got throwing stars with me. You know how well I work with throwing stars because of my The Dark Knight obsession.”

“Fine,” I sighed, running a hand through my blond hair, “fine. I will stay in the stupid attic, but I already gave her the necklace.”

I heard both my sisters gasp.

“What?” they exclaimed in unison.

“If you open this door, and let me out, I will explain everything.”

“No!” they replied.

“You can tell us through the door,” said Emma, “I don’t know that it counts with the Heat being the thing that made you do it.”

“It still counts!” I insisted. “It counts more! I embarrassed myself doing that.”

“That’s right,” Louisa agreed, “but that’s you on most days.”

“I reject you as my family,” I told them, “Clark is my only family. And Ben.”

“Don’t bring me into this!” Ben shouted. “I’m American.”

“Exactly, it’s practically your duty to be in the middle of this. You like blowing things up.”

“Actually, historically, I should hate you,” Ben reminded me.

“Not recently,” I said, “well…. excluding the current administration, which we won’t talk about for obvious reasons. Come on, buddy. Help me out.”

“Nope,” said Ben, “especially since you lumped me in with the rest of them. I’m a Democrat, man.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I replied, “but if it doesn’t translate to let me out, I don’t care.”

“It translates to I’m more scared of your sisters than you, so you’re staying in,” Ben told me.

“Bastard!” I hissed.

I could feel my dragon pacing inside of me. He was angry, and desperate, and was still being driven crazy by the scent of Adelaide. Her scent was still on me, the smell of sheep, wool, and an apple cinnamon perfume. Something fall like.

I pictured her face as she came up to me that night in the pub. I had almost given the necklace to her then. But I’d been so distracted by her, I hadn’t known what I wanted to do. I had only known that I wanted her impressed. Which was why I had leaned in and told her that she was my soulmate.

It had been hard, not taking her then. I’d been dreaming of being inside of her again. The first time we had been together, she’d been eighteen. The bad thing was, she didn’t remember it. She couldn’t remember it. Even if she was on the estate.

I remembered the day well.

I was twenty-one. It hadn’t been too long after my grandfather had died, and I’d been in a miserable state. I had been cursed with the dragon when I was eighteen, by The First Witch, after sleeping with her. She had caught me stealing from faerie, and the dragon had been my punishment. According to her, I would not be free of the dragon until I learned to love.

For that reason, I had never taken a girl seriously. I’d never had a girl more beyond a casual f**k and run, something in between the sheets. As for Adelaide, I’d stayed far, far away from her. I’d stayed far away from her, because I didn’t want her to get caught up in my mess. And I knew that she had the potential to be my soul mate.

But that year, I had been so miserable, and so alone, I had needed someone to cling to. Adelaide had been simple. Though she wouldn’t remember our history unless she was on the estate property, I did make it a point that summer to spend as much time as I could near her.

I took early morning walks. I knew she got up early every morning to take care of the sheep, and I made certain I was passing by every morning she did. Each morning, I would smile politely at her, ask how her mother was, and continue on my merry way.

I hoped, each morning, that something more would happen.

Every day, she looked at me, smiled, and blushed. Until, finally, on Saturday, she said, “Would you like to come in for tea?”

I went into her house. I had been in the cottage once before, back when she was thirteen and had broken her leg from falling off a tree. I had spent the entire time there, holding her hand as the doctor had put a cast on even though she wouldn’t remember me being there the next day. But I needed her.

I didn’t remember the conversation we had, or even the type of tea. I just remembered the two of us, sitting at the dining room table, and me staring across at her warm, brown, eyes. Without thinking, I had kissed her.

And there was no going back. We were a damn Taylor Swift song, sparks flying, and all of that romantic bullshit.

I was with her. I had Adelaide Marches lips on mine, that was all I could think about. Before I knew what I was doing, I was leading her up the stairs, to her bedroom. I laid her down on her childhood bed, which had pink sheets.

I undressed her quickly, which was no easy feat, since Adelaide was dressed in her work clothes. They consisted of coveralls, a sweater, boots, and her hair was wrapped up in a headband. Then, I simply stared at her in shock and wonder.

Because this wasn’t any girl. This was Adelaide March.

“Everything okay?” she asked breathily.

“You’re just…just beautiful,” I told her.

I reached out and stroked her chin. I had wanted to touch her like this for so long, and I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. She blushed prettily. She was blushing because of me, because of something that I had said.

“You’re beautiful too,” she replied, smiling up at me.

I smiled, and I kissed her. I kissed her slowly, and passionately, and I savored every taste of her lips as if they were the best thing in the world that I had ever had. I kissed. I parted her legs, I caressed her thighs, and I kissed her in between her legs.

I wanted to tell her that I loved her. That she was the best thing in the world. But I couldn’t, because to her I was simply the strange boy next door. But I put everything I had into making love to her that day.

When I stroked her, I wanted her to feel like it was our wedding night. When I caressed her, I wanted her to think of no one else’s touch but mine. And, finally, when I was inside her, I wanted her to know that I would love her until the world ended, and long, long into the infinite endless nothing of the universe or whatever was after. Because even if there was nothing, there would still be an ember of our love.

Even if it was only mine.

And, finally, when we finished, she fell asleep on me, on my shoulder. I kissed her, then I left, knowing that she would forget everything in the morning. Forget me, which was what was best for her. The only thing I left behind was a bracelet of mine. A bracelet that protected people from faeries. Protected her from them. Because I knew even then, she deserved better than my crazy world.

I shouldn’t have given her the necklace the way that I did. With my dragons’ eyes showing, and the anger in my voice, I’m surprised she hadn’t called the cops. I’d go to her tomorrow and do it right.