A Dragon's Heart: (Dragons of Paragon - Book 1)

by Jan Dockter

  Chapter Three

  Cade and Becca tried to keep Aldain’s mind occupied by including him in some of the things they did. They went on late night picnics and hikes exploring caves near the surrounding area. Aldain went with them on most of their jaunts but he passed at the cave exploring. There wasn’t a cave in Scotland that he hadn’t explored. While they were cave exploring, Aldain was seriously considering taking a vacation, maybe the south pacific. He just wanted to get away for a while.

  Becca decided she wanted to make something she found online for dinner. Cade and Aldain went into the den to watch a show as she cooked. She hated having anyone in the kitchen when she was preparing a meal. This was fine with the men; they would rather do something else. Cooking wasn’t at the top of their list as the most enjoyable thing to do.

  As they were talking about the day during dinner the phone rang and Becca got up to answer it. They heard her greet her mother, and then they heard her voice raise several octaves. “What! Oh, my god is she o.k.?” The silence was grating on both men’s nerves. They decided to join Becca in the study.

  They both walked in to see that Becca had a death grip on the phone and tears were falling down her cheeks. Cade walked over to her and put his arms around her waist. He wanted her to know that whatever was happening he was there for her. Becca then said, “Mom I will be on the next flight out. Tori will be alright. I promise.” Becca hung up and when she turned around her eyes were red and her fangs were out in full force.

  Cade holding her close asked. “What happened Bec? What is wrong with Tori?”

  Becca growled, “That bastard of a boyfriend of hers beat her so bad she is in the hospital. Mom said she is going to be alright, but Tori is pressing charges and Tom, her now ex -boyfriend has sworn he is going to get even with her. The police said he will probably be able to post bail, even though it is probably going to be a stiff one. His parents come from money.”

  Aldain growled; he has never understood how a ‘man’ could ever hit a woman. In his mind, there wasn’t even a name low enough to describe such scum. He looked at Becca, “Let me go!”

  Becca looked at him like he grew another head. “What? Why? You don’t even know her. She has never met you and after what happened I don’t even know if she would go anywhere with a strange man. I think it’s best if I go alone.” Becca turned to go upstairs to pack.

  Aldain stopped her to plead his case. “Listen Becca. Why don’t you let me go? While you are a vampire and able to take care of yourself her ex doesn’t know this. If he sees just the two of you; he may decide to do something stupid and then you would end up giving yourself away when you protect you and your sister. Look at me, men like him never mess with men my size. They prey on the weaker person, someone whom they know they can beat. Like he did with your sister. I can go get her and stay there a few days so she can get comfortable around me, then I will bring her back here. It’s a win win situation for everyone.” Becca really wanted to see her sister, and what Aldain said made sense. She knew he would keep her sister safe. He could fly as a dragon at night and she knew he would keep her sister safe. Flying as a dragon would save him the worry of taking night flights. In the day, he could take a regular plane.

  Becca picked up the phone to call her mother; she told her of the change of plans. She assured her mother that Tori couldn’t be in better hands than Aldains’. She also pointed out that Tom would never go after Tori while a bigger man than him was around. The idea that Tori would be safe seemed to placate her mother. Her father was wanting to beat the hell out of Tom and it took her mother everything she had to keep him from taking a bat to Toms head and beating him half to death. Becca was sure he could do it too, but he wasn’t a young man anymore. Tom wouldn’t think twice about cheap shotting him. Becca didn’t want her dad hurt next.

  Aldain said he would arrive the next morning; he planned on flying all night. Her family lived in Boston so he could just go under the radar while it was still dark and shift back before anyone would see him. Becca’s mother told her Tori would still be in the hospital when Aldain got there so he should go there when he got into town. The doctors wanted to keep her for at least a couple of days but Tori was fighting that idea tooth and nail. She hated hospitals and insisted she was fine, the doctors begged to differ. To calm her down they knocked her out with a sedative. She wasn’t going to like that when she woke up.

  Becca stopped Aldain from leaving right away. “Maybe you should go and put a few clothes in a bag. You are going to be there at least a day or two. You did say you were going to give Tori a chance to feel comfortable around you before you brought her here.” Aldain agreed and shoved some clothes in a bag. He hugged Becca telling her he would protect her sister with his life. If it would have come from any other man, Becca would have rolled her eyes. Coming from Aldain, she knew he meant it.

  Aldain took off from the back of his castle, his mind a chaos of thoughts. This was the get-away he so badly needed, but he wasn’t planning on company. When he heard that Becca’s sister was hurt, he felt a pain deep down in his heart. He figured it was because he loved Becca like a sister and her family became his family. He always protected his family, this wasn’t going to be any different. He had never met Becca’s family but he would make sure and let them know he considered them family as much as he considered Becca family.

  Chapter Four

  The flight to the United States was uneventful. He was able to stay out of sight of any planes in the air and he was careful to stay below their radar. He landed just as the sun was coming up; he found a car rental and rented a car. He made a short stop at a truck stop on the way and took a quick shower and changed his clothes. He punched in the directions to the hospital in the car’s GPS and was there in no time.

  He knew which floor she was on and which room she was in because he got all that information from Becca before he left. Becca’s mom was standing outside the room. As he walked towards her, her face lit up. “You must be Aldain. My name is Amanda; I’m Becca and Tori’s mother. Thank you so much for coming.” Tears started to fill her eyes. Aldain’s heart went out to her.

  He gave her a quick hug. “It’s going to be fine Mrs. Robinson I promise. I won’t let that bastard near your daughter.”

  Amanda sniffed, “Please call me Amanda and thank you for coming. It is good of you to come all this way to keep my daughter safe and keep her out of harm’s way. Tom is crazy and I have no doubt he meant what he said when he said he would get back at Tori. I never liked him but we tolerated him for her sake. I don’t know what she ever saw in him.”

  As Amanda was telling Aldain what happened a man walked up to them. Aldain could tell right away it had to be the girl’s father. He was the exact opposite of Amanda. Amanda’s hair was brown but her eyes were the same color as Becca’s, she was very petite in build. Her husband had salt and pepper hair, was about six feet tall and stocky build. His shoulders were wide and he seemed to be in decent shape for a man in his fifties. His eyes were what some would consider gun metal blue.

  Amanda introduced Aldain to her husband Andrew and he held out his hand, “I am pleased to finally meet you Mr. Kincaid. Becca talks so much about you I feel I know you already.”

  Aldain laughed. “Don’t believe everything she tells you and please not Mr., just Aldain.”

  When the nurse came out of Tori’s room the three of them walked in. What Aldain saw made him stop short, there in the bed was a tiny young woman. Both of her eyes were black, she had some cracked ribs and you could see hand prints across her throat. Her lips were swollen as well as one side of her face. That bastard really did a number on her. Her eyes were so swollen and bruised she could barely see out of them.

  Amanda brought Aldain closer to Tori in order for her to meet him. Tori might have looked like hell but she was in total control of her faculties. “So, this is the man that is going to take me off to places unknown? I must say I didn’t expect you to be so uh big. Thanks for coming all this way
to get me. The farther I get from that asshole, the safer I will feel. Pardon my language.” She held out her hand to shake his. He gently shook her hand and he noticed she had a strong hand shake for a tiny woman.

  Aldain smiled, “I promise you Tori. No matter where we are that ‘asshole’ as you call him won’t get near you. You are perfectly safe with me. I do plan on staying a few days so you and your parents can get to know me better. After all, if you were my daughter I wouldn’t just hand you off to some man you didn’t know.” Tori got a wicked smile on her face. Aldain didn’t know what was going through her mind but when he got the chance he was going to ask her. He was extremely curious to know what caused that smile.

  Just as Aldain was about to say something the doctor walked in. “Well how are you feeling today Miss Robinson?” he said in a cheery voice.

  Tori perked up, “I feel well enough to go home doc,” she said just as cheerily.

  The doctor frowned, “I would like to keep you at least one more day in order to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”

  Tori frowned. “Mom would you hand me a mirror please?”

  Her mother wrung her hands, “Tori honey I don’t think you need to worry about being presentable to anyone right now. Maybe later hmm?”

  Tori looked her mother straight in the eyes. “Well if you won’t give me a mirror I will just get up and get one myself. How bad can it be?” Everyone else in the room just looked at each other. Amanda sighed, she rummaged in her purse and handed Tori a mirror. Tori looked at herself and said, “Holy Shit! I look like hell. Trust me doctor it looks worse than it feels. My face might look like a side show attraction but I feel fine. Seriously; if you try to keep me here against my will, I will just leave when no one is watching. Even my body guard over there won’t be able to stop me.” As she looked towards Aldain.

  Aldain raised his brows at that remark but held his tongue. Tori was a little spitfire and he couldn’t help but enjoy her little outbursts. He looked at the doctor to see what his next plan would be. Would he dig in his heels or cave? Tori’s face looked like a storm cloud. Aldain believed she would do exactly as she said.

  The doctor cleared his throat. “I will let you go home against my better judgement but you have to promise me to not do anything strenuous for the next couple of days.”

  ‘Cave’ thought Aldain to himself. He couldn’t help but smile that Tori got her way. Tori had a winning smirk on her face too. She shooed Aldain and her dad out of the room so she could get dressed.

  While they were out in the hall waiting, her father ran his fingers through his hair. “Tori is pretty strong willed. She is very athletic and has always been sort of the tomboy of the girls. I have to warn you, she is a handful she might be more than you can handle.” Aldain smiled and told him not to worry everything would be fine as he secretly thought to himself. ‘I am looking forward to it’.

  As Tori and her mother walked out of her room, Aldain’s breath came out in a whoosh. Tori is five foot nothing with a stocky build, her legs are short but muscular as are her arms. You could tell she is athletic, as her legs are very shapely. Her hair is a light brown with streaks of blonde in it and you could tell it was her natural hair color. Her shoulders are broad and her stomach is flat. Her waist is small, her hips flare and are nicely rounded. Aldain’s hands itched to feel those hips in his hands, she is the sexiest woman he has ever seen! He felt his blood start to flow south and his dragon got excited. He had no idea what was happening but he wanted to get away from there before he embarrassed himself.

  He quickly turned away and told Tori and her parents he would meet them at their house. Once he was out of their sight he almost ran to his car. He sat there with his hands shaking. His breathing ragged, and his dragon in an agitated state. ‘What the hell?’ He has never felt this way. He laid his head on the steering wheel until he could get his body and his dragon under control. After several minutes, he started the car and headed for the Robinson house. It was a long drive.

  When Aldain arrived at the house, the Robinsons were already there. Tori was sitting in a recliner while her mother hovered over her. “Mom please quit. I am fine. If you really want to do something for me, I would love a veggie tray with Ranch dressing. That stuff that they call food in the hospital could kill a person.”

  Amanda laughed, “One veggie tray coming up honey. It will just take me a few minutes.” She went to the kitchen, happy to be able to do something for her daughter.

  Aldain smiled, he guessed someone who was into athletics like Tori would eat healthier than the average person.

  “So Aldain how was your flight here?” Tori asked “I am sort of excited to go to Scotland. Becca tells me you live in an actual castle.”

  He smiled as he said, “I do. It has been in my family for several hundred generations. I look forward to showing you around, the castle and Scotland. I love the country.”

  Tori smiled, “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  Aldain bowed his head and said “Of course.”

  “Well when you wear your kilts, do you wear underwear or are you au natural? It is something I have always wondered,” she asked.

  Aldain laughed. “It depends, some men do and some don’t. Personally, I prefer the natural feeling.”

  “Really? Do you wear yours often?” she asked.

  He smiled, “I wear mine only for special occasions. Marriages within the clan, some holidays but not all the time. When we get to Scotland, if you would like, I will bring you to a special occasion where a clan will be wearing their Kilts. We Scots are always looking for something to celebrate.” Tori loved that idea.

  Aldain asked her what kind of sports she enjoyed and the evening passed by with them getting to know each other. She told him of her love of running and rowing. He told her how he loved exploring new caves and collecting old things. He noticed how she really enjoyed the veggie tray her mother had fixed her. He would have to find a place near the castle where he could plant a variety of vegetables for her to eat. There were some prime places nearby that were perfect for planting.

  As the evening got later, Tori started to yawn. Her eyelids got heavy. Even though she hadn’t done anything physical the beating her body had taken was taking a toll on her. She excused herself and trotted off to bed. Aldain stared at that luscious round backside of hers as she walked out of sight. It wasn’t until he heard Andrew Robinson clear his throat he realized he had been caught staring. Aldain had the grace to blush, he was caught red handed and there was no use trying to lie about it.

  “I am not going to lie Andrew; Tori is one sexy woman. Just because you caught me enjoying some of her physical attributes doesn’t mean I can’t be trusted. I will do everything within my power to keep her safe, of that you have my word. That doesn’t mean I can stop being a man and not enjoy watching a beautiful woman. I hope you take no offense.”

  A wide grin spread across Andrews face. “See that’s what I like about you. You get caught doing something and instead of trying to deny it or make up a totally ridiculous story, you admit it. You apologize for possibly having offended me but don’t apologize for enjoying my daughters ‘physical attributes’ as you put it.” He slapped Aldain on the back. “I know she is going to be in good hands with you” Aldain smiled and thought ‘If only.’

  The Robinsons put Aldain in their guest bedroom. He had been tossing and turning for what felt like hours. Every time he closed his eyes he saw a tiny woman with a luscious backside. He couldn’t stop thinking of Tori. His dragon wasn’t helping matters much either. He kept pacing saying, “Ours, ours” in a chant that was driving him crazy. He tried soothing his dragon; he told him that she isn’t theirs. She was someone under their protection and they had to behave; his dragon loudly disagreed. Aldain finally had to threaten him with keeping him grounded for a substantial length of time which caused him to huff. He finally threw himself down, curled up in a ball, and went to sleep.

  While Aldain was thinking of his
dragon’s reaction he heard an odd sound coming from Tori’s room. He got up to see what it was and as he stood outside her door, he realized it was her cell phone. He had excellent hearing being a dragon shifter. He could tell she was talking in hushed tones, trying not to wake anyone else in the household.

  His body went into full alert when he heard her say,” Tom you bastard. When did you get out of jail?” There was a pause of silence before he heard her say, “Why would I want to meet you? We don’t have anything to talk about. You beat the crap out of me then ran like the sniveling coward you are. You have a lot of nerve calling me here. What do you mean you have Carrie with you? Why do you have my best friend with you? What have you done to her? I swear to god if you lay one hand on her I will kill you.” There was another short pause of silence.

  “Alright I will meet with you, but when I leave Carrie is coming with me. Is that understood?” He heard Tori call Tom a very derogatory name and could hear her getting dressed. Aldain had a feeling she was going to try and sneak out of the house. She wouldn’t chance going down the stairs. So, knowing her and her penchant for athletics he figured she would shortly be climbing down the tree in front of her window.

  Aldain went to his room and quickly dressed. There was no way he was going to let her meet the sick bastard who beat her. He quietly slipped outside and waited at the bottom of the tree. It wasn’t long before he saw a pair of legs going out the window then the rest of her body followed. He watched her quietly climb down the tree. When she reached the bottom, he said in a non chalant voice. “Going somewhere are we?”

  Tori let out a squeak of fright. “You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing out here in the middle of the night anyway?”