My Dragon Desire

Chapter Five - Rumor

✩ Dawn ✩

I stared up at the ceiling, pondering what I should do with myself when the phone vibrated on my chest. I checked what it was. New message received.

Cora: Have you found out anything yet?

I groaned out as I read the message. The answer was simple. No, I hadn’t. The truth was, I had been sneaking out almost every night and so far, all I’ve found out is how creepy this castle was. Blake’s office held nothing of interest and nowhere else had anything else either. And to top it all off, Blake had been away on business which meant that I hadn’t been able to get close to him either. After the ball, I had been so sure that it would open a door for us but instead, he had gone off to do who knows what. I rolled onto my side and sighed loudly. Bailey had gone out for the evening and although I was curious about it, I wasn’t really bothered by what she did with her time. Tonight would actually be the perfect opportunity to sneak around but I wasn’t in the mood. I was bored.

Dawn: Nothing yet

I pressed send and sat up. Maybe I should sneak into Blake’s office and get those letters. With a plan in mind, I climbed down the ladder and headed to the door. The castle was quiet as I quickly made my way to his office. There wasn’t any noise and no light, so I was fairly sure I was safe when I snuck inside.

“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly asked, and I froze. I slowly looked to my left and saw Kayne sitting comfortably on the sofa. “I knew that you would come back,” he added, and I shrugged. I needed to play it cool. “Dawn, is it?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Why are you sneaking into Blake’s office and going through his things?” he asked me curiously and I had no idea what to say. I couldn’t tell him the truth and I wasn’t particularly good at lying. I thought about what Cora had said and I started planning my escape. “Is it because you like him?” Kayne suggested and I stared at him in wonder. He had just given me an out.

“Yes, I’m trying to learn more about him,” I said. It wasn’t a total lie.

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

“Because he is the Lord and I am just a maid!” I gushed out. I took a careful step in his direction and committed to my role. “I can’t just knock on his door and ask him questions,”

“Why not?”

“Um…maid, remember?” I rolled my eyes and he had the balls to laugh.

“Right, right, but why sneak into his office? Why not into his bedchamber?” Kayne asked and it was my turn to laugh.

“Who says I haven’t?” I threw back at him. We both laughed and then he looked at me seriously.

“He moved them,” he said, and I frowned, lost as to what he was talking about. “Those letters, the ones you had found the other night,”

“Oh!” I cringed. He had known what I had been up to. There was no way I could deny that. So, instead of sticking around to further dig a hole for myself. I turned around and left. I didn’t care if my footsteps were loud as I ran back to my room, I wanted to put as much distance between us as possible. Once I was safely back inside my room, I breathed in and out deeply. That could’ve gone down a lot worse and I was grateful that it hadn’t. I still had a job to do.

✩ ✩ ✩

After a cup of coffee, I decided to try again. This time I wasn’t going to sneak into Blake’s office. No, this time I was going to see what I could find out about Josephine. As I left the room for the second time, I was a lot more cautious as I made my way to Josephine’s quarters. As I got closer, I could hear voices. I crept up slowly, pressing my back against the wall.

“How are you going to get it past the cooks?” a female voice asked. I didn’t recognize the voice.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll think of something,” another voice said, and I knew that it was Josephine’s.

“Be careful, Josey, you don’t know who is watching,” the female said, and something told me to get the hell out of there. I turned around and once again ran back to my room. It would seem that tonight was not a good night to be wandering around. I closed and locked the door behind me before I got into bed. Maybe I should just get a full night rest, instead of playing detective. I huddled under the blanket and tried to get warm. I wasn’t sure what I had heard but whatever it was, gave me the chills.

✩ Blake ✩

“Thank you for meeting me,” Drake said as he sat down across from me. We were sitting at the back of the library and although I thought it was an odd place to have a meeting, I didn’t comment on it.

“And thank you for allowing me to stay,” I said with a small smile. I hadn’t realized that The Blue’s where a bit further away than I had originally thought.

“Ah, it is no problem, would you care to talk about it?” he asked me, and I frowned as I gazed over at the male. He was without a doubt, pretty scary looking. His reputation suited him well and I knew I didn’t want to get on his bad side. Drake’s light brown hair was sleeked back perfectly, and his sharp features only enhanced his unnatural good looks. His thin lips sipped at the crystal glass that held the whiskey he had poured moments before sitting down.

“Talk about what?” I asked him as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. His honey-brown eyes bored into mine and I shuddered. He made me feel very uneasy.

“About the girl, you are running away from…” Drake remarked, and I chuckled.

“Oh, how did you know?”

“I know that look all too well, so, who is she?” he asked, and I thought about whether or not I should confide in him. After a few moments of silence, I thought, ah what the hell.

“Honestly, I don’t know what it is about her that draws me to her. My dragon is restless just being away from her,” I admitted. “She is the new maid, working under Josephine,”

“And? What is stopping you?” he asked, and I shook my head. How could I possibly explain it to someone I had just met.

“I am…well…I’m sort of like a player,” I said to him. I didn’t feel comfortable revealing it, but I realized that I needed to talk to someone about it.

“Ah, most dragons are,” Drake remarked with a chuckle. “Are you worried about falling in love?”

“Not at all,” I said honestly. The truth was I was open to the prospect of falling in love, the problem was finding the right partner.

“I can only assume that you and your dragon feel some kind of connection with her?”

“Exactly,”

“And if you are not afraid to fall in love with her, then what are you afraid of?” Drake leaned forward as he gazed at me. I sat back, he really knew how to intimate me, and I didn’t like it.

“Disappointment,” I mumbled out. I hated that I was confiding in him.

“On whose side? Yours or hers?”

“Hers,” I admitted.

“Well, I’ll give you one piece of advice, follow your dragon, he will never lead you down a wrong path,” Drake said, and I nodded. He was right. Even when it came to love and sensing one’s partner.

“Is that why he wants her?” I asked out loud.

“Probably,” I nodded as I reached out and picked up my own glass of whiskey. Was it possible that I had found the one? I shook my head before I downed my drink. There was only one way to find out, but it would have to wait.

“Shall we talk about business?” I asked him and Drake got serious as he nodded.

“Yes, I am offering an alliance in exchange for a peace treaty,” he said, and I sat forward.

“Alright, but I am giving you fair warning, if you or your troops break the treaty, I won’t hesitate to retaliate,” I warned him.

“Likewise,”

“Good, then it is settled,” I said. Drake stood up and went over to the large counter. He refilled our glasses and handed me one.

“Shall we seal the deal?” he asked, and I nodded as we clinked our glasses together.

“To the future,” I said.

“To the future!” he repeated and we both downed our drinks. “To the Blue’s and Blacks,” he raised his glass and I chuckled softly. Drake may be intimidating but I quite enjoyed his weird company. Maybe I would stay a day or so longer.

✩ Dawn ✩

“How are you going to get it past the cooks?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll think of something,”

“Be careful, Josey, you don’t know who is watching,”

I stared at Josephine as she ate her breakfast. I was trying not to pay too much attention to the way she ate. It was more like I was trying to figure out what she was up too. What would she be trying to get past the cooks? And who was watching? But more importantly, who was the other female. All week I had been paying close attention to the sound of the female's voices and not one of them matched.

“What are you doing?” Bailey asked and I blinked rapidly before glancing over at her.

“I’m eating,” I pointed out as I looked down. I hadn’t touched the scrambled eggs and ham. It was cold now and I wasn’t sure I wanted to eat any more of it.

“Right, so, did you hear about Lady Gloria?” I shook my head as I stared at Bailey. Sometimes it amazed me how she thought I knew everything and everyone. “Well, I heard that she has been staying at the castle without Lord Blake’s permission,” this perked up my interested and I absentmindedly began eating as I waited for her to tell me more. “I heard Rebecca tell Linda that Josephine has been secretly feeding her,”

“Hmm?”

“And then Linda said that she has been delivering extra food to Josephine’s quarters,” I nodded as I shoved some scrambled eggs into my mouth. “If Lord Blake finds out that she is here then…well…the s**t will hit the fan,”

“Who is Lady Gloria?” I asked curiously. Bailey gasped and I rolled my eyes. Once again, she thought I knew everything and everyone.

“Lady Gloria is Blake’s cousin,” she said, and I sighed. Oh, how exciting. “She betrayed the family by marrying a warlock,”

“What?” I choked out. This was news to me. Why didn’t Levana mention this to me? Or why wasn’t it in the documentation Cora had given me?

“I know right, witches and warlocks also exist,” she whispered. “Now, Blake really hates witches and stuff so when she married that guy, Blake disowned her from the family. If she is here then it isn’t good news,”

“Stop gossiping!” someone hissed out and I looked over my shoulder to see one of the girls staring at us. “If Josephine hears you, you’ll both be in big trouble,” she added before turning around to finish her meal. I was tempted to flip her off but instead, I finished off my breakfast. I was eager to get back to the room so that I could send Cora a message. I wanted to know everything they knew about Lady Gloria and her Warlock husband. Plus, I was curious as to why Blake hated witches? Was it because of the war?

✩ ✩ ✩

Turns out that the rumor was true. Lady Gloria was in fact hiding in Josephine’s quarters. All my late-night sneaking around had finally paid off. I had spotted the redhead, drinking tea, and eating cookies with the b***h. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay long as Gloria is quite paranoid and kept telling Josephine to make sure they were alone. Blake was due to come home tomorrow, or so I had heard, and I was curious to know if he would find out about Gloria or not.

“Why is it that every time I see you, you are sneaking around?” Kayne asked as he grabbed my arm. The scream caught in my throat as I stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Um…”

“You really are a bad liar,” he pointed out as he let me go. “Follow me,” he added before heading down the hallway. I wasn’t sure if I should follow him or not, but I thought it would be better if I did. He led me to Blake’s office, and I closed the doors behind me. I didn’t want anyone hearing this.

“What are you going to do?” I asked him carefully. I was fully prepared to protect myself.

“Nothing, I am simply curious. I’ve been keeping a close eye on you, Dawn and I am curious to know why you are poking around,”

“Fine, if you must know, I heard a few rumors and I decided to check it out,” I explained. Once again, I wasn’t exactly lying to him. I didn’t know him, and I wasn’t sure what his idea was or what he planned to do with me.

“What rumor?”

“About Lady Gloria…”

“So, it’s true?” he asked curiously, and I nodded. “Well, maybe all the sneaking around you’ve been doing isn’t so bad after all…but I am still curious as to why you were in here the other night,” he said as he waved his hand around.

“I told you,”

“Nope, that doesn’t make any sense, so why don’t you tell me the truth?” it was clear that I couldn’t lie my way out of this. Yet, I couldn’t tell him the truth either. “Are you heal to steal something?" I wanted to laugh at that but I didn't. I simply shook my head. "Did she send you here to spy on him?”

“Um? Who?” I was confused as I stared at him. He may be giving me another way out, but I wasn’t going to commit to anything at this stage.

“Playing dumb I see, well, why don’t you just tell her that you’ve been caught and leave.” He said as he sat down. “I’ll tell Josephine you fell ill and went back home,”

“No, I…” I looked around the room and I felt hopeless. Had I just failed my first mission? “I don’t know who you are talking about and I swear that no one sent me here,” Kayne watched me closely and after a good few minutes, he nodded. “When I first bumped into Blake, I felt something,” I admitted. “I was curious to know more about him and so I snuck into his office to find something. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for, but I did just want to know more about him,”

“Alright Dawn, I’ll take your word for it, but if I catch you sneaking around again, you are out,” he said. I nodded as I slowly left the office. Having Kayne on my back wasn’t a good thing and I would have to figure out another way to get around him.