Touched by A Dragon: The Exalted Dragons (Book 2)

by K. T. Stryker

  “Yeah, she was pretty cool at videogames to be honest,” said Trevor. “We gamed for hours and hours every weekend. But I guess you’re right, people will always come and go. What can we do, right?”

  “Yeah,” said Gaby. They all resumed their daily activities, and Gaby thought she would go to the library to see Madam Marie. At this point, and as Charles had told her, Madam Marie was one of the dragons as well.

  Gaby walked through the sunny streets. The golden sun with the cool breeze reminded her of Charles. She wept for a while, and then pulled herself together once she reached the large wooden gates of the library. She was early, and Allan was still at the front desk.

  “Hey, Allan,” she said, glad to see him.

  “Hey!” he replied. “You’re early though. You don’t start your shift for another hour at least.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said. “I’m here to see Madam Marie though, if she’s here of course.”

  “That’s strange,” said Allan. “She did say that you would come see her today.”

  “Oh, did she?” asked Gaby. “But I didn’t make an appointment to see her or anything.”

  “Yeah, it is weird,” said Allan. “Well, she’s quite the woman then, isn’t she?”

  “She is,” said Gaby in agreement. “Is she in the drawing room?”

  “Yup, as always,” he said.

  She walked up to the drawing room, gave two soft knocks on the door and walked in to find Madam Marie sitting by the window. She turned around to find Gaby and gave her a soft smile.

  “Hello, dear,” said Madam Marie. “Please, have a seat.”

  “You were expecting me?” Gaby asked, a little surprised. “I mean, how did you know I was coming?”

  “I think you already know the answer to that question, Gabriella,” said Madam Marie, giving her a slight smirk. At first Gaby was a little confused, and then she saw Madam Marie’s eyes burn a flaming bright blue. She knew.

  “Yes,” said Gaby, remembering Charles’s eyes, “I do.”

  “Where is he?” asked Madam Marie. “Where is Charles. Is he safe?”

  “He is very safe, yes,” assured her Gaby. “He had to leave the town though. He can’t show his face here anymore. It would be too dangerous.”

  “Was it the redhead?” asked Madam Marie, her tone angry and resentful. “Was it her? Was she the dragon hunter?”

  “She was, yes,” Gaby said with sorrow, her eyes lowered. “I didn’t know. I swear I had no idea.”

  “It’s okay,” said Madam Marie. “I believe you. But it just disgusts me that you lived with her, that wretched creature. Of course it wasn’t your fault though, I know that. But it still does scare me how close she got to us.”

  “I know,” said Gaby. “It frightens me too. She almost killed the love of my life, Madam Marie. That is something I can never forgive. I didn’t even know what I would do if I saw her. I would slit her throat if I could.”

  “There is no need,” said Madam Marie. “She has already escaped like the filthy coward that she is.”

  “He told me everything, you know,” confessed Gaby.

  “I figured that he did,” said Madam Marie. “No matter how many times I warned him, no matter how many times I told him to control himself, he still couldn’t resist. He fell head over heels in love with you, Gabriella. And I can’t say I wasn’t happy for him. He’s been through so much, we all have.”

  “I know,” said Gaby. “I really do understand. And I promise you, Madam Marie, I will never say a word to anyone. It is a secret that is now buried deep within me. I would never expose your world if someone tortured me for the information.”

  “Yes,” said Madam Marie, “I know you would never say anything. You are a good person, Gabriella. We all know that, especially Charles. He wouldn’t have trusted you with any of this if he didn’t know you so well.”

  “That makes me very happy,” she said, remembering him, his hands, his chest, his voice, and his bright blue eyes. “I miss him already. You have no idea.”

  “I know, my dear,” Madam Marie said. “He wanted me to look after you, you know. In case anything ever happened to him.”

  “Did he?” she asked.

  “He did,” she said, “and I intend to keep the promise I made him. So, if you ever need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to come to me.”

  “I won’t,” said Gaby. “Trust me.”

  They got up, gave each other a huge hug, and as Gaby was leaving Madam Marie stopped her and said, “Why don’t you take the night off? God knows you need it, and so do I. So let’s close up early, what do you say?”

  “I think that’s a splendid idea,” said Gaby, relieved she can finally go home and rest. “We’ve had enough for the past few days.”

  As Madam Marie and Gaby walked out the library together, Madam Marie turned to Allan and said, “Allan, my dear boy! We’re closing up for the night. Let’s all go home, it’s been a long day.”

  “But Madam Marie,” said Allan, “what about the cataloging for the day?”

  “We can always do that tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t be a buzz kill, boy. Go out, rest, enjoy the night. Life is shorter and more precarious than we think, so let’s live it while we can.”

  Allan, surprised yet ecstatic with the news and Madam Marie’s rare yet chirpy attitude, quickly packed his things, closed up, and joined Madam Marie and Gaby outside the library. The sun was setting as the three of them left.

  Chapter 15

  Weeks passed by, and then months and then years. Gaby was walking back from the library, her hair now so long it swayed by her waist as she walked. It was spring, and she was wearing a long summer dress with a light linen cardigan on top of it. She became a much quieter person, removing herself from most spheres that had loud parties and music and alcohol. She mostly kept to herself, going to class and working at the library, spending more and more time with Madam Marie. She also got her own apartment, which she would then have to move out in the summer. It was her final semester, and her graduation ceremony was only four days away.

  After her very last class, she went out for coffee with Madam Marie, the woman who became her closest companion, and who every weekend would walk with by the beach, listening to different stories on the dragon race, the hunters and the humans that obliviously dwelled between them. It was a rough couple of days, full of the post-graduation anxiety that tears into the hearts of the young. She spent the past four years on campus waking up every day at dawn, and staring at the firey sunrise above, hoping to see Charles flying back to her arms. But each day passed, and no one showed up. She had little to no hope left within her, but she walked around with the warm memory of him, carrying it with her for strength and indurance. She was a woman now, emotionally mature and mentally capable of handling almost anything, something that Madam Marie had continuously instilled in her throughout their times together. They sat before one another on the late afternoon of the last day of classes.

  “Well,” said Madam Marie.

  “Well,” repeated Gaby with a smile.

  “This is it, huh?” said Madam Marie. “The end of the line.”

  “Don’t say that,” said Gaby. “It’s not the end of anything.”

  “Just a few years ago you were this small and fragile bird, easily broken and barely able to stand on your own two feet,” said Madam Marie, losing herself in her memories. “You were so innocent, yet I knew from the moment I saw you that you had a fire of strength inside you. I knew deep in my soul and I told Charles about it every time I saw you.”

  “Yeah,” said Gaby, looking down to her coffee as she fiddled with her fingers.

  “You miss him, don’t you?” asked Madam Marie. “I can see it in your eyes, your frail and fragile human eyes, torn with the pain of a long lost love.” Gaby burst into tears, remembering Charles. She remembered his bright blue eyes, his soft smile, his gentle touch, and the sound of his loving and caring voice. She was in pain, feeling that she once had somet
hing that was now gone and at this point would never come back.

  “I touched a nerve, didn’t I?” asked Madam Marie. “I’m sorry. He was a good man, a spectacular dragon. He was also a loyal and faithful friend. He did so much for me. Not only did he save my life about four or five times before, but he always gave emotional support. He was there for us, telling us all that there is still hope, even when he himself didn’t believe those words. He truly was one of a kind, and every day I wonder where he is now, and whether he is happy, in this world or another.”

  As Madam Marie went on with her words, Gaby was weeping intensely. She had never remembered him so strongly in a very long time. She could almost feel his touch on her skin, his lips against hers, his warm and safe embrace.

  “There, there, child,” said Madam Marie, getting up from her chair and hugging Gaby. “The world works in mysterious ways. Whatever seems to have been take away from us now might just find its way back to us when we least expect it. But don’t live your life in mourning, my dear. Charles wouldn’t have wanted that. He wanted you to be happy, he always told me that.”

  “I miss him so much,” cried Gaby, her voice weak and trembling. “He changed my life, Madam Marie. He changed everything for me. It was as if I was lost before I met him, and it’s like he took me by the hand and showed me a whole different side to life. I found love, and I found myself. Now I’ll never know if I will ever be that happy again.”

  “Oh, come on, dear,” said Madam Marie, “you will find someone that is not too far off from Charles one day. Don’t lose hope so quickly, and don’t feel that you will be alone forever. You are so young; you have your whole life ahead of you!”

  “But that’s just it,” she cried. “I don’t want to meet someone else. I don’t want to give anyone what I gave Charles. It would hurt, and almost feel like I’ve betrayed him.”

  “He wouldn’t think that,” said Madam Marie. “He would want you to be happy even if you weren’t with him, trust me.”

  “In any case, I won’t be opening that window any time soon,” Gaby said stubbornly, wiping away her tears and sniffing. “I’m just not ready yet.”

  “It’s been four years, Gaby,” said Madam Marie.

  “Then I will need another four,” said Gaby. “I am not ready. I’m just not.”

  They finished their coffee and left. A couple of days later, and it was already Gaby’s graduation ceremony. She was standing among a huge crowd of happy students, all waiting to have their names called so they could one by one go on stage and received their degrees. Gaby, dressed in her black cap and gown with a white dress underneath, was barely paying attention. She thought about how much happier she would have been if Charles was there, standing within the crowd and watching her get through another milestone. She began to tear up, yet quickly tried to dry her eyes before she ruined her makeup. Her turn was only three names away, and as she stood in line, she caught sight of something rather strange. It was a dark figure standing in the crowd. As the lights hit the audience, she saw a familiar face.

  No, it can’t be, she thought. Was it? Was it him?

  She looked again as the lights hit the audience for a second time, and the dark figure was not there.

  Am I going mad? She thought. Snap out of it, Gaby. Just snap out of it and wake the hell up.

  “Gabriella Blake!” a voice on the microphone called. It was the moderator calling out Gaby for her turn to take her diploma. As the parents cheered and the other students waited for their turns, Gaby stood still, still searching for the dark figure.

  “Gabriella Blake?” the voice cried again.

  “Gaby! You’re up!” said the girl behind her. “What is wrong with you, come on!”

  “Oh, gosh,” she said, suddenly realizing that they were all waiting for her. She walked up to the stage, shook the Dean’s hand and took her diploma. She could hear her mother cheering and clapping, calling Gaby her little baby girl. Gaby walked off the stage and took her seat.

  After commencement came to an end, the students, faculty and parents all scattered around the quad, taking photos, popping champagne bottles and giving their congrats. Gaby was with her mother, taking photos and trying to stop her mother from crying.

  “Mom, it’s okay,” said Gaby. “I graduated, it’s no big deal.”

  “How can you say that?” said her mother, wiping her tears of joy and hugging Gaby so tightly she could barely breathe. “My babygirl is all grown up! I can’t believe it. Honey, I am so proud of you. I am certain that your father is up there watching it all happen. He would be thrilled.”

  “Thanks, mom,” said Gaby, hugging and trying to get her to calm down.

  A few days later, Gaby was getting ready to pack her bags and head back home, leaving both the university and the town where she lived for the past four years – the town where she met Charles. Leaving the town was painful; it was like leaving behind the only piece she had left of her time with Charles. She had no photos of him, no letters and no gifts. He only existed as a fragment of her memory, and only occasionally talked about him with Madam Marie. She was afraid that once she left this town, he would truly disappear forever.

  On a late Sunday afternoon, Gaby decided to take a walk down the beach. She watched the warm sunset and listened to the waves move through the coast. After the sun went down, she put on her shoes and walked back to the house. On her way, she stood at a traffic light, waiting for the pedestrian’s sign to turn green. It was a bit chilly, and her arms were crossed tightly to her chest in attempt to shield herself from the wind. Suddenly, a car slowed down and stopped right in front of her. The windows were dark, so she could not see who was inside.

  The window roles down. It is Charles.

  “Oh my god!” Gaby cried, in awe of what she was seeing.

  “I told you I would come back,” he said. He got out of the car, ran towards and hugged her, lifting her up from the ground as he kissed her passionately. She was weeping, unable to believe that he was finally back. She looked at his eyes, holding his face between her palms.

  “I can’t believe it’s you,” she said.

  “I told you,” he said. “I wouldn’t leave you for the world.”

  She looked at his car, an expensive Porsche, and then at his clothes which took on a very hip, yet luxurious form.

  “The new persona?” Gabriella asks.

  “Thought I’d try the playboy cover for a while,” Charles replies. “I like the perks.”

  “Drawing attention to you,” Gabriella says. “Is that wise with dragon hunters around?”

  Charles shrugs. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

  Charles carried Gaby and seated her into the car. She laughed loudly as he kissed her all over her face and on her neck. He turned around and jumped in, looking at the woman of his dreams and the love of his life.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “I trust you,” she replied, feeling her heart beat faster.

  He gave her a soft and gentle kiss, allowing his lips to settle in for moments. As he moved away, he looked at her and said, “I am never leaving you again.”

  They smiled at each other, and hand in hand drove off into the dim twilight.

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  Dragons of Paragon

  A Dragon’s heart

  Book 1

  Jan Dockter

  © 2017

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