Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4)

by Adrienne Woods

  I just stared at it like an idiot and then looked back at him.

  “I’m fishing.” He smiled.

  “Fishing?”

  He started to laugh and bent his body over the water again with his hands disappearing inside. “Now, shhhhh, you are scaring the fish away.”

  I couldn’t help but sit on the rocks and watch how he patiently waited for another fish.

  I’d only seen this in cartoons and never thought in a million years that someone could actually catch fish with their bare hands.

  I just watched his hands as the side of his body was facing me.

  I didn’t even see the movement when he caught the fish, just watched him throw it onto the pile.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me.” I looked at the pile again.

  “What, you’ve never caught fish with your hands before?”

  “No, on the other side they use fishing rods.”

  He smiled. “Come, I’ll teach you.”

  “No, it’s fine, I’ll probably suck at that too.”

  “Come, Elena. It’s fun.”

  “It doesn’t look like much fun from here.”

  He chuckled again. It reminded me so much of that time on the mountain. I really didn’t want to trust it, but I started to loosen the laces on my sneakers and stepped out of my shoes. I put my one foot into the water and sucked in a breath. “This water is freezing.”

  “It will get better soon.”

  “When? When you don’t feel your feet anymore?”

  He smiled again. “Stop whining, you’ll really scare the fish away.”

  I walked over to him and it was really, really cold, ice cube cold. The rocks were pressing hard against the soles of my feet but the closer I got to Blake the warmer the water became.

  I was stunned that it was the heat radiating from him. I knew I shouldn’t be surprised, his core was filled with fire so hot that it incinerated bodies on the spot.

  I’d seen it myself that night it’d appeared for the first time in the forest. My eyes caught on the mark on his back again. I felt bad about that. It was the Rubicon’s fault, flying too close to the Creepers. No one knew why but I refused to believe it was a death wish. Blake had way too much life in that body of his.

  “Now bend down and put your hands up to your wrists in the water.”

  I looked away fast and did what he said and just stared into the water. “How…?”

  “Quiet, Elena.”

  I rolled my eyes and just stood there. A couple of deep sighs followed in the next ten minutes and then I saw a fish, I grabbed at it and it got away. Blake laughed.

  “What did I do wrong?”

  “Everything.” He kept laughing. “You don’t grab it, otherwise you are going to waste your time. You wait patiently for it, let it swim into your hands and then just close them.” He showed me with his hands the closing procedure as if I didn’t know how to catch something.

  “Fine, let’s try this again.”

  We both stood with our hands in the water, quiet as mice and I saw a fish swimming in his direction again. It was so close and yet, Blake didn’t grab it. He waited until half of the fish’s body was in his hands when he just closed them and threw the fish out of the lake. “See, easy,” he gloated and raised his eyes.

  “It’s not easy,” I said back.

  I waited for mine and Blake didn’t take his position again. He stood right next to me and waited to see if I understood what he’d said.

  Fifteen minutes later, another fish swam up and I waited just like he said. It was a big one and as it was halfway into my hands I closed them and tried to bring it up. The fish shook for dear life in my palms and I struggled to keep it still. It started to slip and I tried to get a better grip over it when I stumbled and plunged flat on my ass into the water. The fish got away and Blake was shaking with laughter.

  “It’s not funny,” I said and splashed him with water.

  It didn’t even bother him and he kicked more water in my direction.

  It was a splashing contest to see who could drench the other one the most before we called it a truce.

  “You think we have enough fish?” I asked.

  “No, you haven’t caught one yet.” He grinned. “Besides that tavern caters for six humans and fifteen dragons tonight, we are going to be here a long time.”

  “Oh now it’s we,” I joked.

  “If you want to go, you are more than welcome, Princess.”

  “Haha, funny. I hate that.”

  “What, being called Princess?”

  He shook his head and put his hands into the water again. We waited for a long time until Blake got back up. “I think it’s time to move further down. There are no more fish up here.”

  I walked over to my sneakers as he put all the fish onto a couple of hooks attached to thin lines and tied it up in a noose over something that reminded me of a whipping rod. He flung it over his shoulder and took his bag and moved further down.

  I followed him over boulders and stepped where he stepped so that I didn’t fall on my ass again. Something told me Blake liked when I made him laugh and was not avoiding particularly treacherous spots along the river. So I foresaw plenty of falling escapades in my future.

  He was quiet as we walked. Didn’t make a peep and when he was sure that we’d found the right spot, he put down the fish and his bag and went into the water again.

  I put down my shoes and followed him.

  “Okay, piece of advice,” Blake said. “When you catch it, just swoop it out onto the shore.”

  “Swoop it out?”

  “Yeah, why do you think I do the flip action with my arms?”

  “You could’ve mentioned it earlier. Then maybe the fish that could have fed one dragon wouldn’t have gotten away.”

  “Nice to see you are still sarcastic as ever.”

  I giggled and put my hands into the water again.

  I got what David said; that it was soothing – painfully soothing as my back was killing me – but I didn’t think about any negative things.

  Blake caught about two more and I lost a couple, making him grin like an idiot.

  “See, I told you, I’m going to be useless at this too,” I said right after another one got away.

  “You are not useless. A bit impatient and still getting the hang of things, but not useless.”

  “Impatient? Okay whatever, you’ll spin another story soon enough,” I said with huge eyes as I thought about how long I’d waited for his sorry ass to finally take on a bit of responsibility.

  “Come, here. Let me show you.” He grabbed me by the hand gently and pulled me toward him. I stood right in front of him as we both bent into the water. His hands were barely touching mine but they were there, to help if a fish was near.

  I could feel his breath near my ears, it was steady. His body was blazing warm as he stood over me. I was feeling a bit uneasy but not so much that I wanted to run away.

  A fish finally came and when it reached the right distance into my hands, Blake gently touched mine and caught the fish. He led me into the flipping action, and the fish flew in the opposite direction because I hadn’t let go of it when I was supposed to.

  The fish landed meters from us and plopped back into the water.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time and when I stopped laughing, Blake just stared at me with a look of surprise on his face.

  “I seriously don’t have any words for what just happened. You were supposed to let go of the fish, Elena.”

  I laughed again. “I told you I wasn’t good at it.”

  “Yes, you did. I guess some people cannot be taught,” he joked.

  “Oh, shut up. I’ll catch a damn fish,” I said and put my arms back into the water.

  He just stood there again, watching and after a couple of minutes, the fish swam straight into my hands and I lifted it out of the water and flipped it toward the shore. It landed perfectly, a couple of meters away
from his pile, but it wasn’t in the water, and it didn’t get away.

  “Ahh, who is un-teachable now?” I joked and he clapped his hands.

  “Well done. Now a couple more and I’m sure we can go home.”

  We stayed there for a long time. Catching fish with our bare hands. I really got the hang of it, but I wasn’t a master like him, yet, and lost a couple in-between the four that I caught.

  My sports jacket was wet and so were my shorts, but it was worth it. I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed this much.

  We both waited for more fish to come when I saw one swimming into Blake’s hands. He lifted it up but lost his grip and the fish smacked me right in the face.

  “Shit,” I heard him say as I had an extremely strong fish smell on my face and my head throbbed where its body had connected with my eye and its tail flapped straight on my nose.

  His hand cupped my face. “I’m so sorry.” He didn’t laugh this time.

  I tried to clean my eye. “Hold still, it will only take a few seconds.”

  I felt a soft tingling sensation running up the side of my face as his healing ability kicked in. It was gentle and only a soft warming sensation pulsed through my face, erasing the pounding against my eye and nose.

  I opened my eyes and found him staring at me.

  I couldn’t look away.

  His eyes were so different. They were always beautiful but never this soft. His thumb stroked the side of my temple softly and then he pulled my face which was still lodged in his huge hands closer to him.

  Our lips touched and I didn’t pull away. My one hand touched the one that cupped my face gently.

  The kiss was not like the first time, it was sweet and soft, gentle.

  It made my stomach clench in all sorts of directions – flutter even – and fresh goose bumps flushed my skin as he pulled me closer to him.

  Our tongues danced around, a rhythm known by our hearts as if we’d kissed for years, and our breathing became heavier. Then at once images of blood pouring though his nose and eyes filled my head. The promise I’d made to Tabitha that I didn’t want him, just his dragon form, flashed through my mind. I broke it off and pushed myself away from him.

  “I can’t do this, I’m sorry,” I said, turned around and walked out of the lake.

  “Elena?” Blake called after me but I didn’t stay.

  I picked up my shoes and started to run back to the tavern.

  How the hell could I have let that happen? How could I have let him get so close to me? He was with Tabitha and I’d promised her. I started to get angry with myself as a part of me did want him, but at what cost? What if this spell was going to wear off and he was going to tell me again that he didn’t want me? That could never happen again. I had to keep my distance from him.

  I rushed through the front door.

  “Elena, where have you been?” Connie sounded worried as I ran past her and up the stairs to my room.

  I didn’t even look back to apologize for being so rude, and once I was in my room, I felt the need to be alone. I wielded my shield around me and just sat on the floor against the door.

  This was not happening. How could I have fallen for him again? I’d promised myself no more, but it was those stupid dreams of seeing his dragon saving me every time, and that stupid fishing lesson. I should’ve turned around when I found him standing in the water. I shouldn’t have stayed.

  I MUST’VE FALLEN asleep because when I opened my eyes again the sun was starting to set.

  I was freezing in the damp clothes still on my body, so I got up from the floor and took a hot shower.

  I pulled on a pair of jeans, a sweater and stepped into my slippers after I pulled on a pair of socks.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about that stupid kiss and had no idea how I was going to face him tonight at dinner.

  I couldn’t skip it because I was starving.

  I took a deep breath and had to go and find out if the blood had started again, if Blake was fine.

  Not to mention how ratty I felt that I had made a promise to his girlfriend.

  Still, I couldn’t get that kiss out of my head.

  I found David sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, speaking to one of the other guests.

  There was no sign of Blake. Shit, was he okay? I hadn’t even looked back when he called my name to find out. What if he was badly in pain again?

  “Princess,” David acknowledged me and I grunted inwardly as I hated that word. “Blake is helping Connie with dinner. The kitchen is right through there.”

  “No, it’s fine.” Relief washed over me. “When will dinner be served?”

  “Give it another half an hour.”

  “Thanks.”

  I went back to my room and waited until a knock came at the door. My heart beat a million beats per second hoping that it wasn’t Blake. I really didn’t want to speak to him about what had happened at the lake.

  Connie smiled. “Dinner is ready.”

  “Thank you, Connie.”

  “Are you okay?”

  I nodded and closed the door behind me as I followed her downstairs.

  Blake was missing again and I found oven baked dishes filled with a creamy fish sauce in almost all of them. It smelled amazing. A salad bowl with beets, beans and potato salad took up the other part of the table.

  “Good, the dead has finally awoken,” Blake said as he placed another casserole dish on the table, and everyone chuckled.

  I just rolled my eyes.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, very,” I said.

  He smiled. “Nothing tastes better than the food you caught.” He raised his eyes and I couldn’t help but smile. “But you already know that.”

  I frowned a bit. I assumed it must be something the Rubicon showed him, or images of our time spent together. The way Cara and I shared things. Did they speak the same way we used to? Probably. Still it was a conversation I didn’t even want to think of.

  Everyone sat down. They made one long table that could fit about thirty to forty people. I didn’t like the fact that Blake took the seat opposite me.

  He passed on everything to me after he dished up and I would pass it on to the person next to me.

  He spent the entire night speaking to Connie and I really didn’t like that he was friendly. The Blake I knew was an ass, he was mean. The one from the mountain, well he would’ve never kissed me, he would’ve done the pushing away.

  This, this was something straight out of the Twilight Zone.

  I wanted to help clear the dining table afterwards but Connie just stared at me with huge eyes. “Over my dead body, go. I’m sure you kids want to go and see the village or something. It’s beautiful this time of night.”

  Blake just laughed. “No, it’s fine. But I can help you clear everything.”

  “Blake,” Connie protested.

  “C’mon, you worked hard tonight,” he said and took the dish towel from her shoulder and placed it over his own.

  I gaped at him. Who was this guy?

  “He sure is a huge help, Elena. You are lucky to have him as your dragon.”

  The Rubicon was my dragon, he was just the vessel that transported him. I wanted to say that, but I didn’t.

  I just smiled, seriously not knowing what the hell that was all about a couple of minutes ago. Isabel would’ve died of shock if I told her this.

  “We have a small library, just down the hall, if that might interest you.”

  “Sure, why not?” I said and followed her down the hall.

  The library wasn’t big, but it shelved plenty of books and I started scanning through the rows to see what she carried.

  I found a book about maps again and opened it immediately.

  I read one page after the other and halfway through Blake walked into the library.

  David was having a cognac and offered Blake one too, which he declined.

  Another shocker.

  My heart started to pound a
s I heard him coming over to me.

  “So, you enjoyed dinner?” He squeezed one of my shoulders.

  I froze. “Yes, thank you it was satisfying,” I said without taking my gaze off the map and my heart raced. I took a deep breath as he chuckled.

  “Is that how they teach you to speak in Princess school?”

  I smiled as he took a chair that was shoved underneath the table and sat on it, well laid in it was a better word.

  “What are you reading?”

  “Why the million questions?”

  “Curious.”

  It’s nothing,” I said and sighed as I closed the book and pushed it away.

  He glanced at the title. “More maps?”

  I squinted. How the hell did he know that? The Rubicon.

  “Yes, I’m actually trying to find the Wyvern city but it’s not on any one of these maps. I think I’ve looked through every single one of them.” I fell back into my chair and stroked my face. I was never going to find Annie or Charles.

  “What is the city’s name?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Elena, I can help.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Why do you do this?” He was serious.

  “Do what?”

  “Someone offers you help and you just decline it.”

  “Because it’s not that easy, okay.”

  “What, accepting help?”

  I shook my head. No, coming from you. I should’ve said that, made him back off again, especially after this afternoon.

  “Fine, don’t answer, let me find out if David has any old maps. David!” Blake yelled his name before I could protest, and got up from his chair.

  I heard them speak about maps and I was wondering why Blake had asked for an old map and not just a map.

  David came over with a very old piece of parchment, well it looked old, and opened it carefully in front of me.

  “Blake said that you are looking for a place.”

  “Well, yeah, but I’m sure the names are wrong,” I said as he unfolded this map that looked slightly different from all the others I’d read. There were many more places on this one.

  My eyes scanned through all the names I’d learned ever since I’d started searching for Eikenborough, and it went up higher. I’d never seen this part of the map on any of the others, and just like that, my eyes caught the little words of the village I was searching for. I scanned toward the sides, as I knew the farms were away from the villages. On the left, there were unknown names but on the right, I saw in big bold letters, Alkadeen.