by Ashlyn Chase
She hurried to her bedroom to jot the words down before returning to check on Drake.
***
So many conflicting emotions whirled through Drake, he could barely handle just lying there, waiting for his regenerative powers to kick in.
What an idiot I am! Why did I bother meeting a dragon when I was still trying to find Bliss?
Because, Drake, ol’ boy, you’re a coward. You didn’t want to go through the trouble and uncertainty of telling a human that you’re an aberration.
I should have called Zina as soon as I found Bliss again. No, she probably wouldn’t have taken the news well, but I should have told her. Now it looks like I was stringing both of them along.
Fuck… Bliss will never forgive me.
As he chastised himself, Bliss returned to the living room. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she stayed away.
Strolling over to him, she held out a prescription bottle.
“I have these pain pills left over from a bad sprain. If you’re not allergic to any medicines, you can have what’s left.”
She must really want to get rid of me… probably thinking, take a pill and get out of my apartment—out of my life.
Dragons were very hard to kill, so even an allergic reaction wouldn’t hurt him. He doubted he had any allergies anyway. If he could limit the pain, he could probably walk down the stairs and get to his apartment.
“Sure. I’ll take a couple, but not the whole bottle. I’m not that desperate to end it.” He grinned, hoping she’d recognize his joke, but her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
“You aren’t… you know…”
“Of course not! I was just making a joke, or trying to. I’m not as good at that kind of thing as you are.”
She let out a deep breath. “I’ll get you some water.”
While she was in the kitchen, he called out to her. “Bliss? I need to apologize more emphatically. I know you probably won’t forgive me, but it’s important that you know I’m so—”
The next thing he knew, she was bending over the back of the sofa, kissing him senseless, Spiderman-style. It didn’t even matter that she was facing him upside down. Their lips fit perfectly. Her soft warmth eased the ache inside, not the physical one. The emotional battering he had been giving himself.
When she let up on the pressure, she gave him another tender peck and said, “You’re forgiven, but I have something to tell you.”
This was it. He had to be honest with her. Better she knew exactly who and what he was now, rather than test her trust again later.
“I have something to tell you too.”
“Me first,” she said.
She handed him the pills and glass of water, and as soon as he took them, she disappeared down the hall again. A door opened and didn’t shut, so he figured she must be coming right back.
Waiting gave him a moment to compose his words, but what would they be? By the way, remember during the fire when you thought you saw a reptilian form behind my face mask? Well, you were right… That was my alternate shape. I’m a shapeshifter. Had no choice in the matter. I was born that way. I hope you can accept my—um, uniqueness?
It took a few minutes before she returned with a card in her hand. During that time, he’d composed his little speech a few times, but every version sounded ridiculous. She’d probably assume he was lying to her again.
He was almost relieved when he saw the card. Whatever she had to say in there, he could take it. Hell, he probably deserved it.
He grimaced. “It looks like I’m getting a card.”
“Oh, yeah.” She stood in front of the lounger and handed it to him.
Crap. It’s the picture of the dragon again. Maybe she does know… Then he read the words.
“You made a mistake and that means you’re human…” Nope, she doesn’t know. He sighed and opened the card so he could read the rest. “But do it again, and you’ll see me fumin’.”
This time the dragon had smoke coming out of its nostrils. He couldn’t help smiling, even if she was opening the door to his confession. The one he still didn’t know how to tell her yet.
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
“With conditions,” she said.
“Lay ’em on me, sweetheart.”
Bliss crossed her arms and said, “If you want to see other women, naturally you can, but if that’s what you decide, I’m out. And you’ll tell me right away. Agreed?”
“I won’t need—”
She lifted her palm as if to say, I don’t want to hear it, and repeated, “Agreed?”
“Absolutely.”
She inhaled like she was taking a moment, thinking something over. He waited to give her a chance to finish her thoughts.
“Good.”
“Is that it? You said conditions—plural.”
“One more…” Bliss sighed. “Try to be honest with me from now on. About everything. I’m a big girl and I know how to take bad news without having a hissy fit. I’d prefer an ugly truth to a pretty lie.”
Drake gulped. She said, try… How hard should I try? Shit. He knew what he had to do, but was she ready? Were they ready?
“I have another card for you if this happens again.”
“Uh-oh. What’s that?” Drake asked.
“On the front I drew a beautiful old sailing vessel.”
“Sounds nice. And on the inside?”
“Just two words… Frig-it!”
Chapter 7
As the medication kicked in, Drake’s pain was not the only thing growing duller. So was his mind. Did he dare discuss the truth with Bliss while he was less than sharp?
Fuck it. I have to.
“Blish, honey. There ish one thing I ’ave to tell you…” he slurred.
She chuckled. “Sounds like those pain pills are kicking in.”
“Oh, mosht definitely.”
She grinned. “Go ahead and tell me, if you can.”
He took her hand in his and rubbed the pad of his thumb over her soft skin. “Blish, I’m a dragon.”
“Yeah, I know. Medication will do that to you. It really makes you feel like it’s dragging you down.”
“No.” He shook his head, and tried to enunciate. “I’m. A. Dragon.” Then he remembered the card he was still holding. He pointed to the cute dragon on the front of it.
She laughed. “Sure you are…”
He needed to be clearer, but how? His brain was so muddled, he couldn’t think of any other way but to insist she believe him.
“It’s true. I am a dragon.”
She frowned. “I know the medication is strong, but I didn’t think it would give you delusions.” Then she gasped. “Oh, my God. What if you’re having an adverse side effect? I’ve got to call a doctor.”
“No! No doctor! Promish me, Blish, you won’ call a doctor.”
She bit her lip. “I have to check the side effects on my computer.”
She rose, but he grabbed her hand before she could walk off. “Promish!”
After a charged pause, she finally agreed.
The last thing he remembered was her gently placing a soft blanket over him and saying, “Close your eyes and rest. Just rest.”
Then for the second time that day, he drifted off into unconsciousness.
***
Bliss brought her laptop to the living room so she could keep an eye on Drake. She was never so relieved as when the bathroom door clicked open and Angie reappeared from her bath in her pink terry-cloth robe.
“Oh, Angie. I’m in such a mess. Thank goodness you’re here. I don’t know what to do.”
“Whoa, slow down. What’s going on?”
“It’s Drake. I gave him some pain medicine and he started talking crazy. He made me promise not to call a doctor, but I’m afraid he could be having
an adverse side effect. What should I do?”
Angie reared back and stared at her. “Why did you promise not to call a doctor? It sounds like he needs one.”
“I—I know, but he was so adamant… and we just had this big conversation about being honest and respectful of each other’s needs and blah, blah, blah.” Bliss opened her laptop and slipped on her glasses. “I looked up the medication I gave him on the Internet. Here’s what it says: ‘All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most common side effects persist or become bothersome.’” She waved away the useless information and continued. “That’s not the part that upset me. Here’s where it gets scary.
“‘Seek medical attention right away if any of these severe side effects occur: Allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue).’ He seems to be okay there, so maybe he’s not allergic, but listen to the rest of these: ‘abnormal snoring or sighing; confusion; difficulty urinating; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; hallucinations; mental or mood changes; seizures; severe dizziness, drowsiness, or light-headedness; severe or persistent stomach pain, nausea, or constipation; shortness of breath; slow or shallow breathing; tremor; vision changes.’”
Just then, Drake started to snore.
“Oh, no! He’s snoring. I’m afraid for him, Angie.”
“Does the Internet say what you should do about it?”
“At the bottom here it says, ‘If you have any questions about these side effects, contact your health-care provider.’”
Angie opened her purse and dug out her cell phone. “Well, I didn’t promise not to call someone. I’ve heard of a hotline called Ask a Nurse. It may be a matter of semantics, but he didn’t say anything about nurses, did he?”
“No, he didn’t. Angie, you’re brilliant.”
She smiled. “I know.”
She punched a few buttons and spoke with the information operator, who connected her to the hotline.
***
Anthony let himself into the girls’ apartment moments after they called him. As their landlord, he had a key and Bliss didn’t mind him using it. She needed his help.
“How’s Drake doing?” he asked.
“Terrible.” Bliss wrung her hands. “We need you to help us take him to a hospital.”
“Whoa, there. What makes you think he needs a hospital?”
She hung her head. “I gave him some pain pills and he had an adverse reaction.”
Drake snored softly in the background.
Anthony cocked his head. “What kind of adverse reaction?”
Bliss didn’t answer, so Angie chimed in. “I wasn’t here when he was awake, but Bliss said he was hallucinating. He said he was a dragon.”
Bliss cringed. “It’s my fault. I gave him a card with a dragon on it, and the idea probably got mixed up in his head somehow.” Why the hell did I give him my medication?
Anthony’s lip twitched. Bliss thought she saw the start of a smile, but it quickly disappeared.
“Are you a doctor?” he asked.
Feeling about two inches tall, she answered softly, “Uh… no.”
“I’ll chew you out for prescribing medication without a license later. What did you give him?”
“Percocet.”
“How much?”
“Just two.”
“Just two? Those things are narcotics, not aspirin.” He sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I don’t think he needs a hospital. All he needs is to sleep it off.”
Bliss was tempted to ask him if he was a doctor, but she knew enough not to get snarky with someone who they’d asked to help.
Angie took it from there. “But the Ask a Nurse hotline said to transport him to an emergency room right away.”
Anthony stared at the ceiling and seemed to be thinking something over… hopefully how best to get Drake to Boston General.
“I know you don’t know me well, Bliss, but Angie does. I’d never do anything to hurt my staff, friends, or customers. Isn’t that right, Angie?”
Angie turned toward Bliss. “I’ve never felt safer since taking this job—and I grew up in the suburbs, so that’s saying something. Anthony has gone out of his way to take care of all of us at one time or another. He’d never do anything to hurt Drake.”
Bliss bit her lower lip. “You really think he’ll be all right?”
Anthony placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He was surprisingly cool in more ways than one.
“I promise. When he wakes up, he’ll be back to his old self. You’ll see.”
***
The following morning, Bliss awoke with the sensation that someone was touching her. When her eyes fluttered open, she looked up into Drake’s smiling face. He smoothed her hair out of her eyes.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Drake. You’re up!” She levered herself to a sitting position on the sofa where she’d fallen asleep. She was still wearing her uniform, which was wrinkled beyond recognition.
“Angie said you took good care of me last night.” He sat next to her.
“You look a lot better this morning. How do you feel?”
“I feel great. Perfectly fine.” He glanced at his watch. “In fact, I should go into work soon. My shift is about to start.”
“You don’t have to. We called in sick for you last night.”
He leaned back and scrutinized her. “You didn’t say anything about my getting beaten up by a girl, did you?”
She laughed. “No, of course not. We said you were in an accident and left it at that.”
He nodded. “Okay. Well, I should call anyway just to reassure them it was a minor accident, and I’m all right.”
“Or you could go in a little late…” She finger-walked her way up his arm until he groaned and captured her hand in his.
He kissed her knuckles. “Did I thank you for all you did for me last night?”
“No, but I’ll let you show me how grateful you are.” Bliss raised her eyebrows, hoping he’d get the hint.
She wasn’t horny as much as she was concerned about his pretending to be perfectly fine when he wasn’t. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She was equal parts horny and concerned. If he turned down sex, he was either not a typical guy or still in too much pain to perform. Better to find out now than when he was riding around in a speeding fire truck or climbing a ladder.
He grinned, scooped her up in his arms, and strode toward her bedroom. Apparently her message was received, and he must have been all right to carry her like that.
“Is Angie around?” she asked quickly, before they reached her bedroom door.
“Nope. She went grocery shopping. Said she had a few errands to run too, and she’d be gone a couple hours.”
“Handy.” She reached down and twisted the doorknob.
“Very,” he said, and carried her into the room, setting her down in the middle of the bed.
He began undressing, but Bliss still needed a bit of reassurance. “Just to be clear… you’re not interested in the woman with the rat’s nest hair who kicked the shit out of you, right?”
He reared back and laughed. “I couldn’t be less interested in her…” Then he crawled on his hands and knees up the bed until he was looking directly into her eyes. “Or more interested in you. What you did for me, Bliss… I don’t think many women would have been that forgiving. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d added your own licks.”
“Oh, I might still get in a few ‘licks’ but not the way you just meant it.”
“How did I get so lucky? I thought you’d never forgive me. When Angie brought the flowers up, I fully expected to have them thrown in my face.”
She caught sight of the
lovely fresh flowers on her dresser. They lightly scented the room and added a delicate beauty to it. “I think I knew what you were trying to say.”
“You did?”
“Well, yeah. If I’m right, you felt bad for keeping your options open, even after you found the perfect woman… or you brought flowers to cushion the blow when you broke up with me and went off with Motorcycle Maddie.”
He lay down next to her and gathered her into a warm hug. “Of course I wouldn’t break up with you for—ugh—her, or anyone else for that matter. You’re amazing. I want to keep you for as long as you’ll let me.”
Bliss was glad she’d asked for reassurance. Sometimes a little insecurity can bring out the nicest compliments. As long as they’re not lines. She was fairly sure Drake was being sincere. Certainly he had been apologetic enough last night. He wouldn’t humble himself like that if he didn’t mean it, would he?
Her cynicism had resurfaced in a big way when she was confronted with the fact that he’d gone out with someone else while he was supposedly interested in her. Drake had admitted it was a mistake and promised her exclusivity in the future, but could any man be trusted if Heidi Klum came along? Then she almost snickered out loud. How apt is that to happen? Not very.
There were no guarantees, and Bliss had realized that long ago. That’s why her Hall-Snark cards were so popular. People disappointed each other all the time, but that didn’t stop them from trying again. If every relationship was effortless right from the start, she’d be out of a job.
While all this was going through her head, Drake was nibbling the column of her neck and popping open the buttons of her blouse.
Decision time, Bliss. Either you really do forgive him and take this relationship to the next level, or you hold a grudge and drive him away. What’s it going to be?
She only needed a moment to realize what she wanted. She reached for his zipper and dragged it down. He lifted his pelvis so she could push his jeans over his hips. He divested her of her blouse, and then the rasp of a zipper over her ass meant he was getting rid of her skirt next.
She fumbled with the hem of his T-shirt until he stopped what he was doing and yanked it off. In another minute, she was wearing only her underwear, but she was determined that he be naked first. She took hold of his boxer’s waistband and dragged it over the considerable bulge between his thighs. His cock sprang free, and what an amazing organ it was!