by Alexis Davie
“What?”
“It was killed by my father and my uncle. They used the fur to line their jackets.”
“Where on Earth was that, the North Pole?”
“No, it was in Russia. We were camping in the woods,” he replied vaguely.
“Wow, you’ve been all over the world, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, we moved around a lot, with my father and his businesses at the time,” he nodded. “Sometimes I thought we were never going to settle in one place.”
“But you did,” she said slowly. “When did this happen, the wolf attack?”
“We were teenagers, so it was quite a while ago,” he shrugged.
Adley studied him for a few seconds, and even though it felt like he wasn’t telling her the whole truth, it didn’t matter. He was alive, in one piece, and she was here with him. That was all that mattered.
“Any more questions?”
“Just one. Do you mind if I close my eyes for a while?” she whispered, nuzzling against his chest.
“Not at all. I’d take it as a compliment, knowing I wore you out,” Oryn chuckled.
“Whatever. I want a rematch,” she scoffed.
“Anytime,” he murmured and kissed the top of her head. “Anytime.”
When a beam of sunlight fell directly onto Adley’s face, she groaned sleepily. She was still wrapped up in Oryn’s arms, but something was different. It was brighter around her. She groggily opened her eyes, and as soon as she noticed the blue skies through the large window, she sat upright abruptly. Glancing around her, she saw that it was after seven o’clock, and her heart nearly stopped. She turned to Oryn.
“Oryn?” He groaned into his pillow but didn’t move. “Oryn, it’s time to wake up now. It’s morning. We have to get to work.”
Oryn’s eyes opened, and he looked directly at her. “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah, that about covers it.” She climbed out of bed, searching for her clothes. “Shit, I have to get home and take a shower.”
Oryn sat upright, and a grin quickly formed on his face. “I’ll get Jayce to drive you home, don’t worry. We won’t be late, I promise. And if you are, I swear you won’t get into trouble. I could say you were running an errand for me,” Oryn told her.
“As easy as that, huh?” she asked.
“As easy as that,” he smirked and slid out of bed. He grabbed a pair of comfortable pants and pulled them on. He reached for Adley and pulled her close to him. “Last night was amazing.”
“It was more than amazing, and you know that. But, maybe next time, we could set our alarms.”
“Next time?” he asked, raising his eyebrows with intrigue.
Adley smirked and shook her head, breaking free from his embrace. “You and I both know there will be a next time.”
“Touché,” he said. “Let me call Jayce to bring the car around.”
“So he’s just on call twenty-four hours a day?” she asked.
“Pretty much. I mean, I have a back-up. The man needs to sleep. But he has a lot of responsibilities. He’s not just my driver. He was with the CIA in the States and with the Secret Service.”
“He’s a bodyguard, too?”
“And in charge of my security team.”
Adley frowned at him as she slipped on her shoes. “Security team? Why do you need bodyguards? Are you under threat or something? Are there people wanting to kill you? Am I in danger here?”
Oryn laughed at her waterfall of questions and shook his head. “I’m not under threat, no one wants to kill me, and you are not in any danger. I just like feeling safe, that’s all.”
Adley sighed. “I know how that feels, so I guess it’s a good thing then.”
“Absolutely. Let me call Jayce.”
“Thank you, Oryn,” she smiled at him.
“You’re welcome,” he winked at her before leaving the bedroom.
Within a few minutes, Adley was seated in the car with Jayce, the driver, on her way home. A few minutes from her house, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Hoping it wasn’t her boss or anyone from the office, she took it and stared at the screen. A smile formed on her lips, and her brown eyes almost teared up.
I’d like to take you out, and yes, that means a date. Last night was amazing, and I’d like this to be the start of something even more amazing.
Oryn
Adley suppressed an even bigger smile, but it managed to break through, and she giggled happily. She typed a quick reply that she would love that and that he should just name the time and place.
She slid her phone back into her pocket just as the car pulled up in front of her building, and she opened the door.
“Thanks, Jayce,” she said gratefully, climbing out.
“You’re welcome, miss. Have a great day.”
“Oh, I will,” she said. “You have a nice day as well.”
Jayce nodded, and she closed the door. As the car pulled away, Adley floated to the entrance, never imagining she could have ever felt this way.
Everything was perfect.
7
Over the next few weeks, Oryn and Adley kept their relationship quiet to avoid any gossip around the office. Of course Oryn hated every second of it, but luckily, he had a lot of things at work which required his attention. He kept himself busy, waiting for the month to be over, so that Adley’s team of marketers could finish their time at GreenVeil.
They passed each other in the hallways with nothing more than a simple greeting, although their eyes were filled with the need to say and do more. However, Oryn respected the strong work ethics that Adley had, and even though it was difficult not to pay more attention to her than necessary, he knew he would see her and kiss her later that night. She often slept over, and as they got to know one another, he knew that she was the one for him. In fact, he had known that the very first time he had seen her, but now he knew it even more.
She was perfect for him.
On the last day of GreenVeil’s collaboration with the marketing company Adley worked for before becoming a contractor, Naomi entered his office, abruptly placing papers on his desk and exhaling deeply like she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Oryn, who had learned to ignore her when she was in such a mood, continued scrolling through his itinerary for his trip to Malaysia in a few weeks. It was just a routine trip, and honestly, Oryn wished that he could take Adley along, but again, he didn’t want any trouble to arise.
Naomi slammed the door so hard that Oryn was forced to glance up from his computer screen and cock his head at her. “It’s a good thing that glass is shatterproof.”
“Don’t you even start with me.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“You and I have always been honest with each other, right?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said.
“Then why do you think that you can hide your relationship with Adley from me?” she demanded. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do, Naomi, but Adley and I agreed that once the marketing team leaves and their contracts end, we’ll make it more public. I don’t want to jeopardize her job, or our integrity.”
“Are things really that serious?” Naomi crossed her arms.
“They are. I think she’s the one, Naomi.”
She stared at him and dropped her arms to her sides. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“How can you be so sure? How can you honestly say that she is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
“Because I can feel it,” he answered, pressing his hand against his heart, “right here. All my worries fade away when I am with her. I feel complete. That hole that’s been there my entire life, she fills it up. She makes me the man I am supposed to be. We talk about everything and anything. I can share anything with her, and I am not afraid to be myself.”
Naomi raised an apprehensive eyebrow. “Oh, really? Does she know what you are?”
Oryn glanced at her, and his jaw clenched.
“Does she
know who you truly are, Oryn?”
“Are you threatening me?” he growled and slowly rose from his chair.
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t dream of doing that. I know what you’re capable of. I actually have to applaud you for hiding your brutal and savage side so well.”
“Don’t test me, Naomi.”
“Are you going to rip my head off my body, too? Tear me to shreds?”
“I did what I had to do. The wolves—”
Naomi raised her hand in the air and shook her head. “Spare me the details.”
“Naomi, I would never let anything happen to her, you should know that.”
“Should I?” she asked coyly.
His hands clenched into fists, and he narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re not one of us?”
“I’m not at liberty to say,” she replied elusively. “But I can tell you that I know about the wolves, and I know what you did to their alpha. They’re coming for you, and I hope to the gods that you can get yourself out of this mess before others get hurt in the process, like Adley. Humans get hurt so quickly, it’s actually pathetic. I can’t believe that you are wasting your time with someone so fragile and so easy to kill.”
“I think you better go, Naomi, before I do something I’ll regret,” Oryn warned, a low growl forming in his throat.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” were the last words Naomi said before she left the office and disappeared down the hallway.
Oryn took a few strained breaths and ran his fingers irately through his hair. With an aggravated gesture of his hand, he swiped the stack of folders from his desk as he angrily stepped away.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered to himself. Another knock on his office door sent him whirling around. “What?” To his surprise and relief, Adley stood in the doorway, staring at him with wide eyes. His shoulders relaxed, and he walked towards her. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else,” he apologized.
“I’m glad I’m not that person. Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I just had a little bit of a disagreement with Naomi.”
“I saw her stomping towards the elevator. She didn’t even look at me, or say hello,” Adley told him. “What did you two disagree about?”
Oryn sighed. “You.”
“Me?”
“She was upset that I didn’t tell her about you and me.”
“Really? Why? It’s not like she’s your confidant or anything like that. You don’t owe her an explanation or a play-by-play of your life.”
“I used to tell her a lot of things, and she was the only person who I could talk to, so I guess she just feels left out.”
“But we didn’t tell anyone,” Adley said with a frown. “It sounds to me like she may be jealous because you have someone else to talk to and confide in.”
“Maybe.”
“Let’s go back to your place, we can cook dinner together and maybe put on some music and celebrate.”
“I can’t believe it’s been a month already,” he said and kissed her forehead.
She smiled. “And I get to go back to my old offices and be an entry-level assistant again.”
“After the progress you’ve made here, and the glowing review you will get from me, I seriously doubt you will go back to your old job. If you want me to, I can hire you here,” he offered.
“As much as I love you wanting to protect me and give me everything I deserve, there are some things I just want to do by myself.” She put her arms around his shoulders. “I love that you care so much.” Oryn smiled at her and pulled her close.
“And I love you,” he replied.
“Bold move, Mr. Veskovic.”
He shrugged nonchalantly, and she giggled. She took a deep breath and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Oryn glanced at Adley sleeping soundly beside him, and a content smile formed on his lips. He couldn’t believe that after five thousand years alone on Earth, one person could make him forget about all those times he had felt as though he was the only person in the world. All the memories of loneliness were replaced with happy emotions, and he could not imagine his life without Adley.
The night had been a success. In a combined effort, he and Adley had cooked a perfect dinner, where he had the most fun and laughs in years. They enjoyed a delicious dinner by candlelight on the terrace, and as the wine flowed and the music played, they danced under the stars until their need for one another became too much to bear. They made love on his bed, surrounded by soft sheets and fluffy pillows, while the full moon shone brightly in the sky above them, peeking through the window to catch a glimpse of them.
Now, Adley lay next to him, peaceful and content as he watched over her. Not being much of a sleeper, Oryn spent many nights just watching her for a few hours before he left to fly. He wasn’t sure why, but being with Adley had increased his need to be in his true form, and he wondered whether she had something to do with it. After all, his parents had met in their true forms, but was that really the reason?
The conversation he’d had with Naomi earlier that day still played in his mind, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she might be a wolf. The hatred and disdain in her voice gave him reason to believe that she may also have been a part of the alpha’s pack or related to the alpha. There were not a lot of immortals who were aware of the details of that day, and he wondered how she was involved in all of this. He tried to recall the faces and the voices of the pack members, but his memory seemed clouded. He wasn’t sure why, but it made him restless.
He studied Adley’s sleeping form, memorizing it so that it was perfectly clear in his mind, and quietly climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb her. Ten minutes later, he was soaring through the night sky, his large wings slicing through the air. Even though he felt free, the sudden distance between him and Adley soon became unbearable, and it made him want to head back earlier.
Oryn wished he could take Adley with him on a flying outing, but he knew that the mere thought of him being a dragon—a real dragon—would scare her off for good. He did not like lying to her about himself or having to omit certain details of the stories he told her about his life and his childhood.
The story about the scar on her back was the one thing that made him feel incredibly guilty. She had told him that story, a sore and raw part of her life, in confidence, and he could not even tell her the truth about his scar. He couldn’t tell her that a dragon hunter had given it to him with an enchanted weapon while he was in dragon form. He couldn’t tell her that he’d had to walk around with an arrow a few inches from his eye for a whole week until it worked its way out of his scales. He couldn’t tell her that he went out flying while she slept. He couldn’t tell her what he really was.
Humans couldn’t fathom such things, like dragons, vampires, and wolf shifters existing. It wasn’t something that was talked about freely, or even known, for that matter. Humans feared the unknown, and they didn’t know how to handle it if they were confronted with it.
This made Oryn wonder what Adley would do if he told her. She’d probably not believe him at first. He’d have to transform into his dragon form, and he wasn’t sure how she would react if she had to see that.
It was a pretty scary sight to behold. Their bodies contorted, their bones snapped, and it was pretty disgusting when their wings burst through the skin between their shoulders. But as soon as all the scales were in place and their wings unfolded, they became magnificent and majestic. Each dragon looked different: different color of scales, different wings, and even different facial features. Oryn remembered feeling indifferent about the fact that he had three horns on his head instead of two like his brothers, but it was the kind of dragon he was. According to his mother, he was special, although at the time, he hadn’t felt very special. He soon realized that the extra horn was actually where his radar was located, and he was pretty impressed with himself for having something his brothers didn’t.
Oryn flapped his wings again and flew as high as he possibly could
before dropping down at high speeds. His green scales darkened on his command, allowing him to perfectly blend in with the water below him, making him virtually undetectable by anything. He flew close to the water splashing at his feet and then dove down into it, heading back to his house.
The air was suddenly cold when he stepped into the house and went directly to his bedroom. Adley was still asleep, but she had changed positions. She now lay on her side facing the window, and she was bathed in the early morning glow. Her hair sparkled in the impending light, and Oryn stood by the door, simply watching her.
He could still not believe that she was his, and he was hers, and right there and then, he vowed to do everything in his power to keep Adley safe, even if that meant telling her the truth about him. She stirred slightly, and he slowly approached the bed. As he sat down on the edge of the bed, she asked in a sleepy voice, “Where’d you go?”
“I just went downstairs. I heard a noise in the backyard and just wanted to check it out,” he lied, feeling terrible for doing so.
“What was it?” she asked and opened her eyes.
“It was the door of the boathouse. I didn’t lock it properly.”
“When were you at the boathouse?”
Shit.
“Yesterday before work. I was looking for my special screwdriver.”
Lie upon lie.
“You have a special screwdriver?”
“Of course. Doesn’t every guy?”
Adley shrugged her shoulders. “Jeremy has a special axe he uses when he chops firewood. So I guess in a way, yes. Are you fixing something?”
“Are you hungry?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation into another direction.
“I’m starving, actually.”
“Good. Why don’t you take a shower, get dressed, and then we can have breakfast together?”
Adley sat up and kissed him on the lips. “That sounds nice.”
Oryn kissed her again before standing from the edge of the bed and leaving the room. He felt her eyes on him the whole time, and he scolded himself for being such a fucking idiot. She deserved to know the truth. All of it.