by Dena Christy
“Telling a woman you're a dragon won't work. Perhaps you should keep that little tidbit of information to yourself? People don’t believe in dragons anymore, so telling a woman you are one won’t get you a mate. It would get you locked up, which could be another potential venue to meet women I suppose.” A brief look of speculation crossed Rickman’s face before he shook his head.
Andor curled his upper lip as his frustration got the better of him. He could not tell a woman that he was a dragon upon meeting her? How would she know that he had access to riches beyond her imagination? How could he convince her to be his mate if she did not know he could keep her in style?
“What am I supposed to do if I cannot reveal to her right away that I am a dragon? She needs to know what a privilege it is to be with me.”
“You could start by not telling her that it’s a privilege to be with you. Once you find her, you must get to know her and let her know you. Get her to fall in love with who you are, not what you can give her. It’s how the rest of us do it.”
That could not be right. Andor rubbed his hand over his chin as he tried to push past his confusion. If it was like Rickman said, why did he have women show him their breasts for money? Why did he not have a woman of his own?
“How am I supposed to get her to like me?” Being a dragon was what he was, and now he could not reveal it until he was sure of her? If she was supposed to love him for who he was, how could she when he had to keep the biggest part of himself a secret?
“I wish I knew. I’ll try to find somewhere you can meet wholesome women, but the rest is up to you.”
Lyssa Davidson dug her fingers into the edges of her seat as her best friend, Portia, pulled into the fairgrounds’ parking lot. She blew out a slow breath and forced her fingers to uncurl as she fought her rising anxiety.
“I’ve changed my mind, I don’t want to do this.” Surely Portia would see reason and understand why she couldn’t do this. She could hardly breathe and getting out of the car would only steal her breath further. As soon as Portia had picked her up this afternoon, dread had squeezed her lungs in an ever tightening band. No matter how much she tried to relax, the band wouldn’t loosen.
“You haven’t left your house for weeks now. You need to get out and have some fun before you turn into one of those shut in types. You know, the ones they find dead surrounded by a dozen cats.”
That was a horrible exaggeration. She left the house. It was only to go to work, but she got out five days a week. She liked spending her weekends at home. It was safe at home.
“Maybe I had other plans. Did you think of that?” Lyssa folded her arms across her overflowing bosom. The corset and white off the shoulder blouse combo she wore did little to minimize her abundant bust line. The corset probably contributed to the breathing problems too.
Laundry and a Netflix binge were the extent of her weekend plans, but Portia didn’t know that. The last thing she wanted to do was dress up like Slutty the Tavern Wench at a Renaissance fair. Kevin could have followed them and might be watching her even as she and Portia debated here in the car.
“You didn’t have any other plans and you know it. It’s your duty as my best friend to come to this with me.” Portia undid her seatbelt and opened her car door. She gathered the long green skirt of her dress as she got out. Lyssa stayed where she was, safe and anonymous inside the car. A glance out the window showed no sign of Kevin, but that didn’t mean anything. Unease tightened the muscles in her shoulders. He could have followed them if he’d been watching her house like she suspected.
Portia opened Lyssa’s door and motioned for her to leave the car. Lyssa stayed where she was, with her seat belt snug across her body. If Portia wanted her out of the car, she would have to drag her out.
“This will be fun. I’m worried about you. Ever since you broke up with Kevin, you’ve been hiding. It’s not healthy. You deserve a little fun, and I have no one else to do this with me. I’ve been looking forward to it for months. Come on, we’ll have fun, buy some useless trinkets and watch a joust.”
Lyssa looked up at her, and the plea on her friend's face did its intended work. How was she supposed to argue with the puppy dog look in her eyes? She’d either have to suck it up and get out of the car, or go on a guilt trip for the next week. Portia had been her friend for over a decade, and she should have known that she wouldn’t let her mope around the house for long.
She sighed as she undid the seatbelt, swung her legs around and got out of the car. The thin leather shoes Portia insisted she wear to lend authenticity didn’t stop the gravel under her feet from biting.
“I still don’t think this is a good idea.” She took a quick glance around the parking lot. The one person she dreaded seeing was not there. Maybe he’d gotten over the break up? She’d heard little from him after the first few harrowing weeks following her dumping him. Had he finally realized that she was not getting back together with him?
“It’s a public fair and out in the open. Kevin won’t try anything as long as you are here. Besides, that crazy loser will have to go through me before he can touch you.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Lyssa’s face, and she appreciated Portia thinking she could protect her. Kevin was a six foot tall gym rat, and Portia with her curvy five foot four frame wouldn’t be able to do much to stop him.
“Perhaps we should get you a sword while we’re here.” Lyssa shut the car door and pulled her shoulders back. Kevin couldn’t dictate what she did any more. Portia was right, this was a public place and he’d be stupid to approach her here. He’d taken to standing under a tree outside her house, calling her at all hours of the night and following her around town. In those instances she’d always been alone. Perhaps a crowd would keep him at bay.
“I won’t need a sword. You have a restraining order.” Portia linked her arm through Lyssa’s as she pressed her key fob and the car’s locks engaged with a double beep.
Lyssa didn’t want to tell her that a restraining order only had power if Kevin abided by it. The police could charge him if he came near her, but the order wasn’t a magical forcefield that would keep Kevin away if he was determined to approach her. Her mother had been proof of the flimsy protection a piece of paper offered against a determined, violent man.
Portia squeezed her arm and Lyssa looked over at her. She pushed a smile onto her face as she forced thoughts of her mother aside. She was here to have fun, not take a trip through her most painful memories.
It was a beautiful day, and fresh air skated across her skin and stirred her hair. Lyssa felt some of her tension ease out of her shoulders and she breathed easier. She would never admit it out loud, but the walls of her home were getting a little claustrophobic. She couldn’t hide forever, and moving on with her life was the best thing she could do for herself.
Lyssa scanned the crowd of colorfully dressed people and didn’t feel as out of place as she thought she would. There were several tavern wenches mingling in the crowd along with ladies dressed similar to Portia.
“You’ve been to one of these before. What do you want to do?”
“We are going to the fortune teller.” Portia took her by the arm and dragged her across the fairground.
They waded through the crowd until they came to a lightly wooded area on the fringes of the fairgrounds. A brightly painted wooden caravan stood in a circular spot in the woods. The area looked like Transylvania from a few centuries ago, at least, that’s how Lyssa imagined it.
She paused and pulled Portia to a halt. No one else was around, and silence hung in the air around them. A chill dragged itself up her spine and she shivered. There were too many places to hide from view, and the muscles in her shoulders stiffened.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea. Is there somewhere else you want to go?”
“It'll be fun. Don’t you want to know your future?” Portia guided her over to the caravan and Lyssa spotted a fortune teller's sign hanging by the door.
“Not if i
t’s going to cost me twenty bucks.” There was no way she was going to waste that much money on a bunch of nonsense. And she didn’t need her fortune told if it meant being away from the safety of the crowd.
Portia rummaged through the pouch hanging from her belt, and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. “You’re getting your fortune told. It’s my treat. Make sure you tell me everything she says.”
“Aren’t you getting one done?” Lyssa knew better than to argue and took the money. It took some willpower not to crumple it into a sweaty ball.
“Not today. I had mine done last week, and it’s better to wait between readings. Go on.” Portia waved her hand toward the caravan but Lyssa did not move forward. This was a stupid waste of time and it wasn’t worth risking being out of public view. “I’ll be right here waiting for you when you come out, so get a move on. Don’t make me push you.”
Portia crossed her arms and Lyssa moved forward. Portia would not let her out of this, so she might as well get it over with.
She took a deep breath and marched up the wooden steps. She knocked on the door and a husky female voice bid her to enter.
Lyssa opened the door and ducked her head as she went inside. A quick look around showed her that this place looked exactly like what she expected a fortune teller’s caravan to look like. The only light came from pillar candles placed around the room and their glow highlighted the large table in the center of the room. It was covered with a velvet cloth and had a crystal ball in the center.
“Come in. I don’t bite.” The woman beckoned her forward with a hand covered in many rings. A dozen silver bangles tinkled with the motion of her hand. Lyssa came forward and sat across from her.
The woman certainly looked the part. Her midnight hair spilled out from under the scarlet scarf she wore tied on top of her head. Lyssa was willing to bet this woman never had to wear the highest level of sunblock available, and there wasn’t a single freckle on her dusky skin.
The woman raised a dark eyebrow and Lyssa’s cheeks heated as she looked down at her hands. It was almost like the woman could see inside her mind with her jet colored eyes. Which was ridiculous. It must all be part of the show. She'd probably perfected that look in the mirror years ago.
“Once you cross my palm with silver, we can begin.” The woman held out her hand, and Lyssa placed Portia’s money on it. The fortune teller’s rings flashed as she spirited the money away. “What kind of reading would you like? I can scry in the crystal ball, read tarot or perhaps do a rune reading? What about a palm reading?”
Portia hadn’t told her what to choose. Lyssa was under the impression that the fortune teller would say a dark stranger was in her future and she could be on her way. She hadn’t expected to pick the manner in which the woman conned her.
“I don’t know. Which one would be best?”
The woman tilted her head and studied her for a minute. “Runes would be best for you.”
She stood and moved the crystal ball over to a table sitting against the wall. Beside it was an old wooden box. The woman brought it back and placed it on the table with reverence.
The box’s hinges creaked when the fortune teller opened the lid and drew out a drawstring bag. She gave it a shake and spilled the contents on the table. The jewels in her rings winked in the candlelight as she waved her palms over the symbol covered pieces of wood.
“You haven’t had an easy time in your life. The runes tell me you’ve known loss.”
A generic statement. Most people had lost someone by the time they reached her age.
Just enjoy it. Portia had paid for this with the best intentions. She wanted to give her something to think about besides Kevin. It may not be her thing, but she should at least make an effort to have fun with it.
“What else do they say?” She looked down at the runes on the table. They might be for show, but they were pretty.
“I see a man from your past clouding your present. He worries you, doesn’t he?”
Was she talking about Kevin? Her pulse fluttered for a second. How could she know about him? Lyssa hadn’t told her anything about herself. Maybe the fortune teller was good a reading people. She had been concerned about Kevin following her here and her worry must have shown on her face. Perhaps the fortune teller had picked up on it. Or Portia had set all this up to lend authenticity to the show. That had to be it.
The fortune teller gave her a gentle smile when Lyssa didn’t answer her. “You don’t believe. It doesn’t matter. I only know what the ruins tell me. You’re right to be worried about him. He will cause trouble for you before he’s finished.”
Lyssa swallowed. Portia would not want to her to hear something like this. She could not be the source of the fortune teller’s knowledge of Kevin. Great. She knew about him somehow and if she was right, the restraining order would do nothing.
She shoved the fear away. There was no way she knew about Kevin. She must be reading her still, and making guesses that went along with the theme of what this reading would be about.
“What about my future? Is there something good coming at least?” She wanted to hear something positive. Something that would take the sour taste out of her mouth.
The woman stared down at the ruins. Her olive skinned brow wrinkled. “Strange.”
“What is it?” Lyssa clutched edge of the table as she swept a nervous tongue over her lips. She didn't want to hear the word strange. She wanted something positive. Surely to God this woman could read that in her face.
“I’m only getting impressions, nothing concrete. I’m having difficulty interpreting what the runes are telling me.” She swept the runes up in her hand and put them back in the bag. “I’m not getting a clear picture at all.”
She returned the runes to the box and closed the lid.
Was that it? She wasn’t going to tell her? Or was this a con to get more money? If she crossed the woman’s palm with more silver would her future become clear?
“Can you tell me what you saw?” Could she give her something worth paying twenty bucks for? Stuff she already knew wasn’t going to cut it.
The fortune teller looked at her for a few seconds. She pursed her lips as if engaged in an internal debate. “All I saw was a dragon.”
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