My Dragon Desire

Chapter Seven - Is This A Date? (Part 2)

✩Dawn✩

Blake didn’t take too long and when he joined me at the table, I was all too happy to sip on the hot drink he had bought for us. As we nibbled and enjoyed the sweet treats, we continued to get to know each other. I had to find out something useful. I just hand too.

“So, Blake, tell me more about your family,” I suggested as I took a bite out of the creamy goodness. The fudge melted in my mouth and I tried not to moan too much.

“Just a normal typical family. I would’ve loved to have had a younger brother, but my parents never had any more kids after me,” he said as he too shoved a piece of the caramel goodness in his mouth. “My dad’s brother has two kids, but I am not very close to my cousins,” I could hear the bitterness in his voice despite the sweet treat. I glanced over at him and forced a smile.

“Oh? How come?” I asked casually.

“Well, my one cousin, Gloria, she married…well, it isn’t easy to explain but she basically married an enemy of our family,” he informed me. “She’s a bit of a troublemaker,”

“That’s too bad. Do you see each other a lot?” I continued to ask questions, saving the information in my mind to sort through later. I giggled at the thought and Blake gave me an odd look. “Sorry, I just have to ask, is this…like a date?” I asked. I couldn’t help but blush at the bold question and watching Blake turn a soft shade of pink was out of this world adorable.

“Um…well, I probably should’ve been a bit more forthcoming when I had suggested this,” he finally explained, and I smiled. Actually, I beamed like a little girl who had just been given a big teddy bear. My first date! “I hope you don’t mind,”

“Nope,” I sang out sweetly. “Now back to your cousin,” I said as I continued to sip on my coffee.

“Right, so, no, since Gloria went off and married that man, she was basically disowned by the family,” he explained. “She is not welcome in any of our homes, that includes Uza,” he added quite fiercely and the underlying tone of anger took me by surprise. He hated witches. I shivered at the realization and I felt somewhat disappointed. If Blake ever found out who I was, who I really was, he would hate me too. It hurt and I tried my best to push aside my own feelings and concentrate on getting out more information.

“That’s sad,” I remarked. “What is it about this man that made your family disown one of their own?” I asked. Blake stared at me curiously and for a moment, I panicked. Had asking the question like that: ‘one of their own’, been a giveaway that I knew something? I may have to do some quick-thinking damage control. “Sorry, it’s just I’ve heard some rumors,”

“Oh? Would you care to share?” he asked, and I wanted to shout out, NO!

“Well, just that you are a dragon,” I threw it out there so coolly that I almost choked on the piece of banana muffin I had popped into my mouth. The look on Blake’s face had been priceless and I sort of wished I had been able to capture that moment with a photo or video.

“Um, what?!” he finally managed to spit out and I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

“I know right, a total joke,” I said as I glanced down at the now empty cup I held in my hands.

“Would you like a refill?” he asked, and I quickly nodded. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and pick a new direction in which to go in. Blake left me alone once again and my mind raced with possible questions.

✩Blake✩

I hurried back inside the coffee shop and took a deep breath. So, the rumors had been circling around the castle about me being a dragon. What was worse, Dawn’s spiked interest in Gloria could only mean that the rumors circling about Gloria hiding inside the castle must also be true. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this as the numerous emotions running through me had caught me off guard. On one hand, I was curious to know what Dawn thought about the possibility of me being a dragon and then, on the other hand, I wanted to push a bit to find out what she knew about Gloria.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to order?” I glanced over my shoulder to see a short man huffing out with impatience. I quickly turned my attention to the lady behind the counter and ordered two more coffees. I felt the blush creeping up once again as I thought about my date with Dawn. I was pleasantly surprised when she had the guts to ask if this was a date. I should’ve been more obvious about asking her out but now that she was on the same page, I wasn’t too worried about it.

“Here you go,” the lady said as she handed over the two cups. I quickly paid before slowly making my way back outside to Dawn. I took a moment to take in her flushed features as she nibbled on another piece of fudge. She looked so innocent and sweet that a part of me wondered if pursuing a relationship with her would be the right move. I shoved that thought into the dustbin as I placed the coffee down on the table.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and I sat down.

“Sure, so…I’m a dragon, huh?” I couldn’t help it, I had to know.

“I mean, it's absurd right? Dragons don’t really exist?” she giggled as she took a sip from her cup.

“Is it though?” I asked as I leaned forward. “Is it really that hard to believe in the supernatural?”

“I suppose not,” she said. “But come on! Dragons!” she burst out laughing and I quickly rushed to join in. “Although if you were a dragon then I’ve got to know…” she leaned in and looked around her to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. “What’s it like to fly?” she asked me so seriously that I was taken aback. I thought about her question and there was no way I could wipe the smile off my face as I thought about how it felt to fly.

“One word…amazing,”

“Could you be more specific, more descriptive?” she suggested, and I nodded eagerly. I no longer cared if my cover was blown.

“The way it feels to flap my large wings…how it pushes me up higher and higher. No fear as the air caresses my skin,” I started to explain. Dawn listened closely and I loved that she had shown an interest. “To have that kind of power, it is such a rush, such an amazing feeling. To soar above the cities, to look down at the beauty of nature…it is an experience you have to have to understand,” I finished, and Dawn nodded.

“Maybe one day, you could take me for a ride,” she said as she leaned back in her chair. “I would love to experience that,” she added.

“I’d love to take you,” I said seriously. “I mean it, Dawn, I would love that,”

“Aw, so cute,” she whispered before taking another sip. I pretended that I hadn’t heard her comment and smiled.

“So…your interest in Gloria really surprises me…is there something you want to tell me?” I asked. I immediately regretted asking her that as her whole mannerism changed. She went from being open and friendly to cold and withdrawn.

“Nope, nothing to tell,” she said. “Just curious,”

“Sure?” I heard myself push and she took a large gulp of her coffee.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she said before downing the rest of the contents. She wanted to leave; I could feel it. Although the coffee wasn’t that hot, I admired her skill to handle the hot drink the way that she had. Dawn stood up and I too quickly downed the coffee. The last thing I had wanted to do was push her away and yet, that is exactly what I had done. “I think we should head back,” she said, and I nodded as we left the coffee shop and headed back to the car. I didn’t bother going around to the driver's side and aside from giving her directions, we didn’t talk. It was disappointing and I kept trying to think of ways to fix things. However, by the time we had returned to the castle, the opportunity had left.

“Dawn…I am sorry,” I said as we headed up the steps to the castle entrance.

“Don’t be, it’s ok,” she said distractedly. “Thank you for such a lovely outing,” she whispered before she hurried off. I let her go. It wouldn’t help for me to continue to push her for answers. Besides, I had a rather good idea of who I could push for answers. As soon as Dawn was out of sight, I headed down to Josephine’s quarters. The head of the house better not be hiding my cousin, because if she is, there is going to be hell to pay. I knocked heavily on her door and listened closely.

“Oh! My Lord! You’ve returned,” Josephine gushed out as she opened the door. She moved slightly, trying to block my view but I pushed passed her and came face to face with my red-headed cousin.

“Blake!”

“Leave us,” I growled out to Josephine, who quickly hurried to leave the room. I didn’t look around as I purposely stalked over to her. She was sitting in a large armchair and I stood over her. “What are you doing here?” I questioned. “And don’t even think of lying,” I added as I waited for her answer.

“Blake, I…well, the truth is…Tony left me,” she finally revealed, and I fell back as if she had hit me.

“He did what?” I asked, dumbfounded by her declaration.

“He left me, and I didn’t know where else to go, please Blake…don’t throw me out,” she begged, and I hissed out angrily. I wanted to do exactly that. Throw her out but I couldn’t. If what she was saying was true, then I couldn’t throw her out onto the streets. Where else would she go?

“If I find out that you are lying…” I warned. Gloria nodded and I sighed. “You can’t stay down here,” I said as I finally looked around the room. It was a sitting room with a large armchair and a matching loveseat. It was warm and cozy as it had soft lush brown carpet and beige painted walls. It was different than the rest of the castle and I had to hand it to Josephine, she knew how to make herself comfortable. I called back for her and ordered that my cousin be given a room. I left then and hurried to my own bedchamber. I had a lot to think about and my main priority was on how I was going to fix the start of my budding relationship.

✩Dawn✩

I was embarrassed for almost being caught and then I was embarrassed for overreacting and ending our date on such a sour note. I was such a fool for ruining my opportunity in getting to know Blake more. Things had been so natural and comfortable between us that it made my heart soar. I thought back to the way his eyes had lit up whilst he had been trying to describe how it felt to fly. I could kick my own ass for my behavior as I entered the room I shared with Bailey. Looking around, I didn’t see her anyway and I sighed out in relief. I needed to be alone with my thoughts. I had messed up big time. I hadn’t really learned anything knew and I realized that maybe, just maybe, I was bad at this type of thing. Or maybe I was trying too hard? I wasn’t sure but as I got undressed and headed into the bathroom, I thought back to the time I had spent with Blake. The way that he smiled and seemed to brighten up when he had been talking about flying. The way he had basically promised to take me for a ride. I turned on the water of the shower and waited for it to heat up. My lack of experience with men made it all the more special to have these thoughts of Blake. The way he would casually run his fingers through his hair when he was nervous or the way he had chewed on his lower lip when Gloria had come up. These little details were what I found the most intriguing. When the room started to fog up, I quickly got into the shower and stood under the warm water. It soothed my body and I completely relaxed. I wanted nothing more than to feel his soft plump lips press against mine. I blushed at my train of thought and hurried to get finished.

“Dawn?” I heard Bailey call out and I groaned. So much for being alone. I finished up in the shower and wrapped my body in a big white fluffy towel. When I opened the bathroom door, I saw Bailey busy getting undressed.

“Hey, how was your walk with Kayne?” I asked as I casually went over to my side of the closet. I didn’t miss the dreamy smile on her face.

“Oh, he is perfect,” she gushed out and I giggled.

“You’ve got it bad,” I remarked, and she blushed as she hurried into the bathroom.

“Put the kettle on,” she said before closing the door. I finished drying my body and got dressed in a pair of comfortable PJ pants and a top. I put the kettle on and prepared the cups for tea. I glanced over at the package I had brought with me to the room. I suppose it wouldn’t matter and I was fairly sure Blake wouldn’t have minded. I laughed as I took out a plate and dished up a piece of fudge and two cupcakes for the two of us. By the time Bailey came out of the bathroom, I was sitting comfortably on the foot of her bed with a cup of tea in my hands and the plate on the bed. I watched as she got dressed and chatted about her walk with Kayne. She looked genuinely happy and I smiled. I was happy for her and I realized that I was quite selfish. It would seem that Kayne would be distracted with Bailey and that meant, I didn’t have to worry about his curiosity. Bailey grabbed her cup of tea from the counter before joining me on the bed. “Are you going to tell me where you got these?” she asked as she picked up one of the cupcakes and took a small bite.

“Blake took me into town,” I informed her. Ok, technically, I was the one who took us into town but that was a minor detail. Bailey immediately wanted to know more, and I happily gossiped to her about my date. I felt bad for the way things had ended but I was hopeful that it wasn’t the last time Blake took me out on a date.