The flames slowly died down, and then, Jake took another deep breath and began to flap his wings. Slowly, and with a silence that was surprising for a dragon of his size, he started to rise into the night sky. The air cooled even more as he rose, and he filled his lungs with it. This was what freedom felt like. His cares and worries seemed to fall away, stuck down on the earth as he rose higher and higher.
Jake flew straight up toward the moon, pumping his wings with wild abandon. If anyone below was watching, he would have made a striking silhouette. His dark dragon form contrasting sharply with the bright white of the moon.
Jake thought as he rose that he really needed to do this more often. He was privileged to live in a town where he was allowed to shift at any time, just for the heck of it. A lot of shifters lived in clans that were too close to humans to allow for open shifting anytime someone felt like it. And other shifters actually lived in human communities, and had to be even more careful. But here in Torch Lake, the closest human civilization was miles and miles away. Unless the High Council issued an emergency no-shift ban, any shifter could embrace his or her animal form at any time.
It felt good to embrace his dragon. Jake pumped his wings furiously, flying upward until the air was so thin that he started to feel a bit lightheaded. The city below him looked like a toy city. Not many lights were lit now, but the moon was so bright that he could still see the outlines of the buildings below, especially with his keen dragon eyesight. He let his gaze roll over the familiar downtown area, and then on to the residential areas beyond. As Torch Lake stretched up toward the hills, the buildings grew sparser. At the top of the hill, where Rachel’s house stood, there were hardly any houses closer than a hundred yards together.
Jake flew in big, lazy circles now. He turned his attention to the lake, and felt a rush of wonder at the scene before him. The reflections of the stars made the lake look like it was full of thousands of glittering diamonds. Jake couldn’t believe how clear the night was, and how beautiful the water below him was. He must have flown in at least a dozen circles, just looking down at the splendor beneath him.
He might have kept flying in those circles for another hour if it hadn’t been for something unusual that caught his eye. Far below him, hidden behind a grove of trees at a far edge of the lake, he saw what looked like dozens of sparklers going off. Curious, he turned to fly toward them. As he got closer, he realized that there was a spot where the lake fed into a hidden cove that was almost completely concealed by a grove of trees. Completely concealed, that is, if you were at ground level. But from the air, Jake could see the cove clearly. And it appeared that there was a wizard in the water, setting off some sort of sparkler spell.
Jake knew that the wizard probably didn’t want to be bothered. After all, why else would he or she have hidden away in the cove? But his curiosity got the best of him, and he started spiraling downward anyway.
There was a small, beach-like area where the cove met the forest, and Jake aimed to land there. He had nearly touched down on the soft sand before the wizard seemed to notice him, and the sparkler phenomenon stopped. It took a moment for Jake’s dragon eyes to adjust to the change in light as the sudden loss of the sparklers left the cove in darkness. Here, the treetops were thick and stretched out to cover a good portion of the water, leaving less of it lit by the moon and stars. But in the very center of the cove, Jake could see the moon shining brightly on the wizard who had been responsible for the sparklers.
The sight took his breath away.
Chapter Fifteen
He wasn’t sure who or what he’d expected to find hidden away here, but he definitely had not expected to come face to face with Rachel. And especially not with Rachel when she appeared to be completely naked. He couldn’t say for sure, since most of her body was below the water right now, but it didn’t look like she had any clothes on. If the smallest inkling of a thought that she might be the one down here had crossed his mind, he would have kept right on flying by. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to disturb her and piss her off even more than she already was. It was a bit too late to change his mind though. He had landed right in front of her in full dragon form, and it wasn’t that hard for her to figure out that it was him. There weren’t that many dragons in town, and his eyes looked the same in dragon form or in human form. She would know with one look who he was.
So he stood and waited. He remained perfectly still as his dragon claws dug into the sand beneath his feet, and he watched her. She was a vision, standing in the one spot in the middle of the cove where the moonlight shone fully. Her long, wet hair fell straight, plastered against the side of her head and the tops of her shoulders, until it reached the water. There, it spread out in long tendrils that slowly bobbed with the ripples that passed under them. Her face was wet, and the water droplets that rolled down it glistened brightly in the silver light. The water came up to just above her nipples, and her cleavage shimmered in the light, too. Her chest rose and fell slightly as she breathed, and Jake blinked several times, trying to memorize her beauty.
He felt his heart fluttering deep in his dragon chest. He was glad he wasn’t in human form. He feared that his sudden desire for her would have been far too obvious on his human face. At least in dragon form he could easily pretend that everything was normal. Only his eyes might give him away.
As for Rachel, she stared back at him for what felt like an eternity, squinting and then furrowing her brow, as if trying to decide what to do. Jake wondered how long she had been out here. She must have flown out on her broomstick, despite her claims that she was the world’s worst broomstick flyer. It would have taken her an hour to drive here, and much, much longer than that to come by boat or foot. And yet he had heard her tinkering around in her kitchen not long before he left himself.
After she had studied him for a long time, she finally spoke one word.
“Jake?”
The sound of his name on her lips sent his heart into a fresh tailspin. He felt completely out of his element here. When was the last time he had felt anything this strong for a woman? He honestly couldn’t remember. Was it possible this was more than just a simple infatuation? Was he falling in love?
The thought terrified Jake. This whole situation was spinning out of control. He had decided he didn’t like Rachel, then decided he had no choice but to marry her, then pissed her off so much that she called off the wedding, and now…now he was falling in love with her? It wasn’t possible. He was just tired and reading too much into things because he was looking at her in an undeniably sensual situation. She was like some sort of water goddess right now, her eyes dark and sultry as they stared back at him across the ripples of the cove. He was losing control of his emotions. All he could think was that he wanted to know what was below the surface of those waves. He found himself in a rather awkward situation, though. He couldn’t speak to her unless he shifted back to human form, and if he shifted to human form, he’d be naked in front of her here on the beach. He didn’t care much if she saw him naked. As a shifter, he was used to all sorts of random people seeing him naked when he shifted back and forth from animal to human form. But with things so tense and uncertain between Rachel and him right now, how would she respond to suddenly seeing him with no clothes on? Would she take it the wrong way and think that he was trying to come on to her? Was he overthinking things?
She tilted her head sideways and squinted again. “Why did you follow me out here? I wanted to be alone to do magic for fun, like I used to do before my parents died. I just wanted some peace and quiet, but I guess even that’s too much to ask.”
She sounded more sad than angry. Jake knew in that moment that he had to shift and explain things to her, naked awkwardness be damned. He took in a deep breath and let out a long stream of fire, aiming it up at the night sky. He felt nervous, and breathing fire usually helped calm his nerves a bit. Tonight, though, even the fire didn’t seem to help. He was tangled up in knots over Rachel, and no amount of f
ire-breathing was going to untangle him. He was going to have to face his feelings for Rachel, ready or not.
With a loud roar, Jake began to shift back into human form. His dragon hide slowly morphed back into human flesh, as his wings and tail disappeared. His head once again became human, and his legs and arms transformed back into the legs and arms of a man. When the shift was complete, he stood naked in the moonlight, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he caught his breath after the exertion of shifting.
Rachel watched him in silence. She hadn’t moved from her spot in the water, and her hair continued to gently swirl around her on the surface of the water. Her expression was somewhere between suspicion and wonder, and Jake wished she would say something, anything, that would give him an indication of what she was thinking right now.
She waited, though, for him to speak first. So he held his head high, trying to appear more in control of his emotions than he actually was, and he walked boldly into the water. What was it about her that reduced him to such a state? Normally, Jake was the most commanding presence in a room, full of confidence and authority. But out here, with just the moonlight and water between Rachel and him, he felt almost as though his knees were made of rubber.
The water was soothing as it slid over his skin, and he kept walking until it reached the bottom of his ribcage. He stood only about five feet away from Rachel, and his breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. The closer he got, the more beautiful she was. He wanted to say so many things to her, but he didn’t know where to start. So he started with the two words he knew for certain he must say tonight.
“I’m sorry.”
She looked back at him, sorrowfully. Her expression didn’t change much, but he saw a slight softening in her eyes. He took another deep breath, and kept talking.
“I haven’t been fair to you. I’ve assumed so many things about you, just because you were born rich. I always hated it when people assumed things about me because I’m a dragon, and yet I’ve done pretty much the same thing to you.”
She blinked rapidly, as though fighting tears. Jake’s heart twisted in his chest. He had caused her pain, and that thought made him deeply sad. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand tightly, to squeeze it and reassure her that he would never treat her like some spoiled, privileged brat again. But he didn’t feel he’d earned the right to reach for her hand. She still hadn’t said anything, and he wasn’t sure if his apology was enough to mend the rift he had created between them. He took another step toward her, hoping that closing the physical distance between them would give his words even more weight. Her expression didn’t change, but at least she didn’t pull away.
“The truth is,” Jake continued, “I’ve spent most of my life being proud of being noble and honorable. And I think I’ve used my status as a dragon to do some good in this world, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve worn my honor like some sort of badge that made me better than everyone else, and I’ve realized there’s nothing honorable about that. I’m sorry. It’s kind of ironic, since I thought you were spoiled rotten, but you actually have made me a better person. You made me realize that there’s an ugly side to my dragon—one that judges people based on outside appearances without really getting to know them.”
Rachel blinked at him a few times. She was still fighting tears, but she was doing a remarkably good job of keeping her emotions in check. She raised an eyebrow at him and finally spoke. “You know, just like you have used your dragon status to do good in the world, I can use my money to do good in the world. Did you think I only wanted my fortune back so that I could buy more designer shoes?”
Jake couldn’t bring himself to answer the question. He had thought that, but he was too ashamed to admit it out loud.
Rachel shook her head at him sadly. “I have plans for what I want to do with that money. I want to start a music store, and give music lessons. I’m an accomplished violinist, and I love music. I want to teach others to find joy in music, too. And I have plans to work with the schools in Torch Lake to improve musical education here. But I need money to get my store and my programs off the ground. This isn’t all about me and my wardrobe.”
Jake’s cheeks burned with shame. “I judged you horribly. I’m sorry. I didn’t even know you played violin!”
Rachel dropped her eyes for the first time since Jake had landed next to the cove. “I haven’t played much since I lost my family. But it’s time to get back at it. I can’t spend the rest of my life wallowing in sadness because of everything I’ve lost. We all lost a lot in the Dark War.”
Jake took a chance, and took a few steps forward to close the distance between them even more. He reached his hand out to her, and, to his relief, she reached out too and took the offered hand. There was only about two feet between them now, and Jake felt the air crackling between them. His hand felt like it was burning up as it touched the skin of her hand, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest in a way that was becoming all too familiar. He had given up trying to pretend he wasn’t attracted to her. He wanted her badly. Not only was she beautiful, but he had finally seen that there was more to her than just a famous family name and a wealthy family fortune. She was special in her own right. And yet, he had no right to love her. He had promised to marry her and to keep things platonic and businesslike. He’d messed up even that, but perhaps he could salvage at least their marriage of convenience. If he could convince her to still go through with it, maybe one day he could convince her to be his friend, if nothing else. He knew with certainty now that there would never be another woman out there he would rather marry. He’d thought love was a lost cause, but now he was realizing that love was right in front of him. Here stood the woman he’d been willing to marry even though it meant giving up on love. Yet somehow, in giving up on love for her, he had found love in her. The realization made his head spin.
Had he ruined things between them forever? Would there ever be a chance that she might actually have feelings for him, too? He didn’t know, but he had to take a chance.
“Rachel, I know I’ve screwed things up pretty badly,” he said, trying and failing to keep the shaking emotion out of his voice. “But I’ve seen how wrong I was, and I’m hoping you’ll give me another chance. I still want to marry you, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for how I’ve acted and what I’ve said. I think you deserve a chance to have your music store. I’m not sure I deserve a chance to be People’s Governor, but I’d still like a shot at it if the people of Torch Lake will give it to me. The point is, I think we still need each other. And although I’d understand if you don’t want to spend your life with me anymore, even if it is just as a business arrangement, I’m hoping you’ll see past my big mistakes and take a risk that maybe I won’t be such a bad husband after all.”
To Jake’s surprise, Rachel’s lips turned up in a small, barely perceptible smile. “Are you proposing again, Jake Palmer?”
He smiled sheepishly. “I guess I am.”
Rachel tilted her head to one side, eyeing him carefully in the moonlight. She wasn’t fighting back tears any longer. Her face looked serene now, and her smile slowly grew from barely visible to definitely there.
“I guess I could give you one more chance. But just one. If you say another single word about my being a spoiled brat, I swear to god I will kick you out of my house and life, regardless of how much fortune I will lose.”
Jake let go of Rachel’s hand and raised his right hand, like he was about to take an oath. “On my honor, as a dragon,” he began.
“Hmph, however much that’s worth,” Rachel said sarcastically. Jake raised an eyebrow in her direction. She had a devilish look on her face, and she was actually grinning at him now. Was she flirting with him? The thought sent a funny thrill through his core, and he felt a stiffening between his legs. He was glad that, even in the moonlight, the water was too dark to see below the surface. The last thing he needed right now was to have to explain to his fiancée of convenience why his dick was acti
ng like this was anything but a business arrangement.
“Hey, now! Just because I acted like a bit of a jackass, doesn’t mean that dragon honor is worthless!”
She shrugged and her grin widened even more. Jake opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could get the words out, he felt a slap of cold liquid across his face. Startled, he froze in place. It took a moment for him to even react. Only when it registered in his brain that his whole head was soaking wet, and cold water was dripping into his eyes, did he finally reach up to wipe at his face.
“Hey! What was that for?”
“That was penance for all the times you called me a spoiled brat.”
Jake laughed. “Well, I don’t normally let people splash me in the face. But I guess if that’s the punishment I get, I’ll take it like a man.”
He put on an exaggerated sorrowful expression, and Rachel giggled.
“You should have been an actor,” Rachel said. And then, before Jake could reply, she balled her hands up together into one giant fist and skimmed them rapidly across the surface of the lake, causing a giant wall of water to wash over Jake. He had just opened his mouth to speak again, and he found himself with a mouthful of lake water and eyes bleary from the splash.
“Alright, that’s it. This is war!”
Without thinking about what he was doing, he jumped forward to dunk her. She squealed right before her head went under, and reached to wrap her arms around his neck to drag him under, too. He hadn’t expected her to react so quickly, and so she caught him off guard and managed to get him under. It was only when they resurfaced together, him with his hands on her hips and she with her hands around his neck, that he remembered they were both naked. She must have remembered it at the same time as him. She froze, looking into his eyes as he looked back at her. He could feel her breasts pressing up against his bare chest. The curve of her hips felt intoxicating beneath his hands, and there was no point in trying to hide his erection. He was rock hard, and poking straight into her stomach. He could feel her chest as it rose and fell rapidly. Her breathing was as heavy as his was right now. Water dripped down her hair and face. Droplets on her skin glistened in the moonlight. Jake tried to hold back. He told himself to let go of her, to step away and apologize before things went any further. But still, he let his hands rest on her hips below the surface of the water. He desperately wanted to kiss her, but she wasn’t his to kiss. He could not ruin everything now, just when he’d managed to get her to trust him again. Her eyes looked up at him, wide and full of questions, and, perhaps, just perhaps, full of desire, too? Or was he imagining things, because he wanted so badly for her to reciprocate his feelings. Still, she hadn’t pulled away from him, either. That had to mean something, right?
Dragon Proposing (Torch Lake Shifters Book 2) Page 12