“I’ve got to dash off.” Boreas picked up his jacket, and waved goodbye to Notus. He was even more desperate than before to go for a flight now. His dragon badly needed the expanse of the skies.
Chapter 7
Rainey
The next few days flew by, and Rainey’s confidence and enthusiasm grew by the hour. She would still start each lesson jittery with nerves, but she’d grown more skillful at keeping those feelings at bay. You should believe in yourself. You have every reason to. She repeated Boreas’s words to herself every morning, and they started resonating inside her more and more as time passed. And as her confidence grew, her manner of working with the men changed, too, and she became more jokey and light-hearted.
The guys had to split their time between the building project and the protection agency, so she worked with them in two groups: Notus, Quinton, Eurus, Zane, and Jett in the first one, and Aquilo, Caden, Alaric, Tharos and Ciro in the second. Boreas also joined them when he could, but he was very busy with the agency, the workings of which seemed hectic and unpredictable.
Caden was the only one who wasn’t warm to her. His initial antagonism hadn’t disappeared, and he would make nasty comments every now and then. But the other men would always tell him off and stand up for her, and despite the fact that his mean comments hurt her, knowing she had the support and admiration of the others, and that they were on her side meant a lot and made her feel better. She could also see that behind Caden’s perpetually bad mood, he was interested in learning, and that helped, too.
Dwayne called often, reminding her to not mess things up, his words as crude and negative as ever. But the more she enjoyed her lessons with the guys, the less Dwayne’s manner affected her. She’d decided to keep it from him that she was helping the guys learn how to build rather than landscaping the island. He wouldn’t be supportive of her and would probably demand she come back immediately. He was particularly angry and edgy these days, and she wanted to avoid yet another argument.
She’d been sleeping better and was managing to get around four to five hours uninterrupted sleep per night. Her bruises were all fading, too. She had one on the back of her neck and another on her upper arm that were still purplish, but the rest of her skin looked okay. Most days, when no one was around, she exposed them to a few minutes of sunlight on her veranda, which she liked to tell herself made them disappear faster. Conveniently, her cabin was a little set back from the rest, and her veranda faced south, while the rest faced east, so despite the fact that the dragons’ cabins weren’t far away, she had total privacy on her porch. It was the middle of March, and the weather wasn’t hot enough yet, but Rainey loved the sun so much that she was prepared to tackle anything upward of 70F for a quick sunbathing session. Luckily, there’d been a mini-heatwave for the past few days and she was able to enjoy even higher temperatures than that.
On one of these warm afternoons, she was relaxing on her veranda in a skimpy tank top, giving her bruises a dose of vitamin D while painting her toe nails. She hasn’t painted them in a long time but she’d gotten an urge when she noticed her nail varnish in her toiletries bag earlier. This was her vacation from life after all and it was okay to do things she normally didn’t have the time for.
She leaned back in her chair, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face when she caught sight of Boreas heading toward her cabin in energetic strides. She realized with horror that her bruises were in full view due to the revealing top she was wearing, and she felt naked and exposed. Boreas had caught a glimpse of them already, but seeing all of them in the broad daylight would be a completely different thing. She tried to leap out of her rocking chair, but her abrupt movement made the chair tip violently and her legs flailed. Boreas was at the foot of the stairs by the time she was able to set her feet on the ground and push herself up. Heart racing, she sprinted into her cabin.
“I’ll be a moment,” she called as she hid from his sight. She prayed that Boreas hadn’t seen all of those ugly, shameful marks. She dreaded him raising the topic again. He didn’t understand. He’d branded her as a victim of abuse, and he probably pitied her and thought that she was pathetic, weak and naïve. She didn’t want him to think those things of her.
Most of her shirts were hanging outside on the clothes line, so she grabbed what was left —a plain dark blue sweater—put it on quickly and walked back to the veranda. Boreas was leaning against one of the wooden posts at the bottom of the steps. He was wearing a red and white sleeveless checked shirt and grey jeans. His biceps were tensed and they bulged with huge muscles.
He gave her a wide grin. “I heard you had an amazing day,” he said.
“We did! We used the new lumber to create models of different cabins, and it went really well.”
Boreas’s eyes scanned her sweater. “Kind of hot to be wearing a sweater,” he commented.
At his words, perspiration broke out on her upper lip. It was very hot. “I guess I feel the chill easily,” she said with a shrug.
Boreas gave her a look, his eyes glowing with intensity and his lips curled up at one corner. She felt her chest and cheeks burning with fire. She started to sweat all over and she was desperate to rip the stupid sweater off.
“Maybe I need a different one,” she said and turned around abruptly and ran back into the cabin. She went into the bedroom and sat on the bed. She didn’t know what to do. She felt too embarrassed to face Boreas again.
She heard a clumping sound. She strained her ears. Was he walking up to the veranda? Then there was a creak and the sound of wood grinding on wood. He was sitting on one of the rockers. She clenched her fists, desperate for him to go away and leave her alone.
“I wasn’t born into the royal family,” Boreas called through the curtain that screened the front entrance. “I was adopted. My birth mother died when I was eight, then my birth father left.” He fell silent, as if he was contemplating his next words. “My father was a drunk. He was addicted to Firesource. I don’t remember him ever being sober. He was violent with my mother. Very violent. Sometimes he would disappear for days, and we wouldn’t know when he’d come back. But we knew that the longer he was gone, the more violent his return was going to be.”
Rainey got to her feet and went to the curtain. She pushed it aside. Boreas was looking at her, his handsome features full of concern. She slowly made her way to the other rocker.
“I’m very sorry. That sounds horrible. You were so young,” she said quietly.
“When I was three, after one of his early disappearing sessions, he beat my mother so violently that he broke her wing. It was so bad that her nerves were damaged. The broken bone recovered, but she didn’t have full feeling in her wing after that and she could only fly very short distances. She also had to stop working because she was in pain most of the time. She used to be a healer, but you can’t connect with the spirits when you’re in pain yourself.
“She was dependent on him financially afterwards. He had a huge treasure trove, which he’d inherited from his family. We had a good home, we ate well, and I was taught by the wisest elders. He wouldn’t give my mom any money of her own. He’d pay for things himself instead so he could control her.
“When I was seven I begged my mom to leave him. I told her I could find a job. I had rich friends who could help. We’d think of something, we’d manage somehow. But she refused. She didn’t want to deprive me of the prospects I had. She’d grown up in a poor family, and she wanted to give me a good future. And he knew that. He knew that he owned her. And he never laid a finger on me because he knew if he crossed that threshold, she’d leave. He was smart.
“One day, when I was eight, he came back after being away for a week. He asked my mom to roast some birds he’d brought back. We ate together, as he always wanted us to. He wasn’t happy with how the birds were cooked and he got so mad that he threw my mother out of the window. Normally, she would have been able to fly but I suppose because of the shock and her injured wing she didn’t react quic
kly enough. And she died.
“After we came back from the cremation ceremony, I told my father it was his fault that she was dead. And for the first time, he beat me. He used his belt, and he whipped the hell out of me until I passed out. When I came around, he was gone and I never saw him again.”
“Oh, Boreas, I’m so sorry,” Rainey managed to say. There was a big lump in her throat, and she was on the verge of tears. “I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for you.”
“I hated it so much that I couldn’t help her. That she died like that, after so many years of unhappiness,” Boreas muttered, his voice breaking. “I hope she’s in a better place now.”
Rainey looked at the thin crescent-shaped scar on his forehead, just over his left eyebrow, and felt a pang of sadness for all the pain and hurt he’d endured in his life. His face looked soft in the warm afternoon light, and she suppressed an urge to stroke his cheek. “I hope so, too. And I’m sure that having a son like you brought her a lot of happiness,” she said.
Boreas nodded, and she could see the gratitude in his eyes. “Then the royal family adopted me,” he continued. “They’d heard of the story from other dragons, and they must have felt sorry for me. I was very lucky to have my adoptive parents. They were always very nice to me, and they helped me to deal with all the damage my father had caused.” He scratched his stubble with his left hand. “They never pushed me too hard to do anything in life. I think they secretly thought I didn’t have the brilliance in me and couldn’t survive the battle. After all, all my peers were from royal blood. I was the only pauper.” He laughed and Rainey laughed with him.
“Maybe they just trusted you to choose your own path in life,” she said.
“I guess they did.” He stretched his lips but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Was the death of your mother when your scales lost the ability to change color?” Rainey asked carefully.
“Yes, that’s when I became a black dragon,” Boreas said. He paused for a moment. “I also have panic attacks sometimes and my scars hurt when I’m unhappy.”
“Oh, Boreas, that’s awful,” Rainey exclaimed. Without thinking, she got to her feet, and laid her hand on his. It jerked reflexively, then lay still on the arm of the rocker again. “I’m so sorry. I...I wish there was something I could do.”
His raised his eyes to meet hers and there was something in them that she couldn’t name. A certain intensity, a flame of something. Was it desire? No, that was ridiculous! Don’t be stupid, Rainey.
“I’m used to it,” Boreas interrupted her thoughts.
They fell silent, and she looked up at him through her lashes, watching him gazing into space, his expressive brown eyes wandering over the low rocky formations. Her heart was breaking for him. She couldn’t believe he’d had such a traumatic upbringing. He was one of the most generous and kind people she’d ever known. Not just to her, but to all the other dragons, too. He was caring and protective, and she could see that his whole clan really respected him.
And just now, obviously understanding that she felt embarrassed by her bruises, he’d avoided asking her about them or pretending nothing happened, and instead he’d opened up to her and told her his own story. She sensed that it wasn’t easy for him to talk about it, but he did it for her. And it helped her to know that she wasn’t alone and there was someone who understood.
“When’s the last time you really trusted someone?” Boreas said suddenly. “I don’t mean because you have no other option, but because you know they’ll be there to catch you if you fall?”
Rainey opened her mouth and closed it again. “I-I don’t know you very well, Boreas, but I think I trust you,” she said haltingly.
“Rainey, you can always trust me. I’ll always be there for you. And I’d never do anything to hurt you. I hope you realize that.”
“I do,” she murmured.
“Sometimes you’ve got to let yourself go, push yourself out of your comfort zone, if you want to make a change in your life.”
“A change?” she echoed.
When Boreas rose to his feet, she discovered confusedly that her fingers were wrapping around his, so she ended up being pulled to her feet, too.
“Come with me,” he said.
“Where?”
“To the beach.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
She hesitated.
“Don’t you like surprises?”
“Uh, I guess? Good ones.”
“Would I give you any other kind?”
“No,” she said slowly. “I don’t think you would.”
“Let’s go then.”
Rainey’s hand stayed in his while they made their way along the narrow, dusty track all the way to the beach. When they reached the dark, volcanic sand, he came to a stop, planted his hands on his hips and gazed at her. She was suddenly struck by his size, the muscularity of his big, powerful body.
“You told me the other day that you’ve never flown before, and I wanted to ask if you’d like to fly with me.”
“Oh, my god,” she murmured, her heart racing. “Ye-es. I think so. But what if—” She broke off. What if something bad happens? No, that’s stupid. She argued with herself, confused and torn. She used to be an adventurous child, but she hadn’t done anything remotely adventurous in a long, long time. Dwayne was a very cautious person in general, and he always said that thrills were for reckless people, not for responsible adults. But this was also a great opportunity to do something she wouldn’t normally do.
“You’ll be completely safe in my arms, you know that, right?” Boreas said gently, interrupting her internal conflict.
“Okay. Yes, please,” she said finally. “I’d love to.”
His eyes glowed with enthusiasm. “Great! And don’t worry, I’ll go slow, and we can increase the height as you like. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great,” Rainey thrilled.
“Just give me a moment to change.” Boreas ran toward an egg-shaped rock nearby. “And don’t be scared of my dragon,” he called over his shoulder. “He’s me, just with wings and scales.”
Rainey waited, her stomach taut with a mixture of excitement and nerves. A long moment later, a massive leathery black wing emerged from the side of the rock, followed by the body of a huge beast. It was at least eight feet tall and covered in gleaming black scales. It stood on two powerful legs, tipped with long, sharp claws. It had the torso of a man, along with a huge set of very human-looking biceps, and it had retained Boreas’s kind, handsome features, although its head was crested with a pair of long, black horns. In short, it looked like a magical, majestic, fairy-tale version of Boreas. Rainey’s heart beat fast as it approached, a long, thick serpentine tail curving behind it. It stopped four feet from her and flapped its wings, stretching them to their full extent. They were huge and magnificent, a little like bats’ wings, and translucent enough for the sun’s rays to shine through them, lending them a reddish glow.
The dragon’s forearms reached out. “Come here,” it said in Boreas’s voice.
She gasped. “Is that really you?”
He let out a burst of baritone laughter—Boreas’s laughter. “Of course, it’s me, Rainey.”
“You want to turn your back to me so I can hold you around the waist?”
“Sure,” she said hesitantly. She was now trembling with nerves, every impulse in her body telling her this was a bad idea. But she ignored it. She trusted Boreas, and she knew he wouldn’t harm her.
She turned around, and a moment later, his powerful forearms, covered in glittering black scales, were wrapping themselves very gently around her waist.
“You’re safe,” he whispered in her ear, and suddenly, she was calm.
“How do we—?” she began but stopped because she realized her feet were no longer on the sand but suspended a couple of yards off the ground.
He chuckled. “Take off, you mean? It’s a very gentle process.” They
went up, and up with the same dreamy slowness, until they were as high as the tops of the nearby crags. Something wrapped around her legs—his back legs, she realized—and then he tipped her forward slightly so she her body was halfway between horizontal and vertical. It was very comfortable in his arms. She felt less like she was suspended in the air—which was what she’d feared—than she was enclosed in a very soft, comfortable cage. “How’s that?” he said softly.
“Nice,” she said. “I’m not scared.”
“That’s good. Wanna go higher?”
“Yes,” she found herself saying.
They went up and up until the beach got smaller and smaller. They dipped to one side, and then they were facing the open sea. The sky was soft blue in the early evening light, and the sea glittered as the gentle tide washed in and out. There was a kind of rhythmic snapping sound as his wings beat up and down, and the wind blew in her face as they gathered pace.
“Like this?” he asked.
“I love it!” she shouted back.
She saw the tips of his wings on every downbeat as they flapped harder and harder, and heard the whoosh of the air currents. Clinging onto his forearms, she shrieked and laughed in pleasure. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun.
When they’d traveled far beyond the shore, he dipped his left wing again and they turned in a lazy circle so they were facing the beach again.
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