Kissed By The Dragon (Paranormal Shifter)
Page 7
Barbie was there when the flowers arrived. “Two weeks in a row.” She sounded jealous.
“I’m sorry.” I was tired and didn’t want to explain. It was all too weird anyway. The dance, or ball, whatever they wanted to call it, was just too weird. Dragons were too weird and my life was going the direction of the eternally strange as well. I didn’t know if I liked it or not.
Later, I would find myself regretting this feeling, but I realized that at the time I was perfectly justified in my behavior. I struggled with the truth, if it was even the truth about what happened to me at the party, with seeing the dragon, with seeing Alistair and Toby, with the realization that the two men knew each other in some fashion. It felt like a set up. I didn’t know what to do. That much, I knew, was the truth.
“I’d like to meet this guy. Whatever he’s doing is a little strange.”
“You better believe it.” She had no idea, there was no way that she could know the horror I was suffering through. She didn’t know that I had been seeing dragons and about the confusing regularity of my sex life that I had been dealing with, about the two men who seemed to be completely separate, but actually must have known each other.
“What did you do this weekend? You canceled on us again.” The words were a knife and she was trying to stab me with them.
“I was tired.” It was all I wanted to say.
She didn’t believe me; it was obvious. “Are you sure? We tried to call.”
“I just passed out after work.” I held my hands up and felt the distaste for this game she was playing. The woman was trying to get information out of me and I just wasn’t ready to share yet.
“I don’t believe you.”
Frankly, I was exhausted and didn’t want to take her bait. “Look, I’ve got to get to work.”
“Avoiding the question, typical.” She began to walk away and for that, I was grateful. “Doesn’t she know that we want to know?”
I watched her walk away, but her biting jabs didn’t hurt me. I finally understood exactly the kind of woman she was and I understood the pain she must be going through. There was something about her, about the way she carried herself that was meant to hide the fear that she held. I didn’t know what she was scared of, perhaps it was life, but frankly I didn’t care enough to spend a ton of time wondering about it. My heart and mind were focused on other things. I had a thousand worries on my mind, but had no idea where to start with it all.
I picked the card out of the bouquet, wondering what I was going to do with the second vase that I was going to have at my house. Maybe make another fake flower arrangement to brighten up my living room. I liked that idea. Reading it, I couldn’t help but feel relieved. I didn’t understand why I had been dreading it so much.
It was a promise from Alistair, a promise to never bother me again and to say that he would be willing to take my call if I was willing to make it. He wasn’t going to push me; it made me smile. I just hoped that he would keep his word. I had enough to worry about.
The old woman showed up again, later in the afternoon. I could hear her demanding to see me, using my name as she harrumphed at the receptionist who rushed back to my cubicle. “She’s here again.”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Are you sure that you don’t know her?” The lady looked concerned and was starting to look as desperately paranoid as I felt on most days since my adventure had begun.
“I don’t know her. Maybe you could tell her that I’m not available.” I shrugged and shooed her back to the front, moving closer to the reception desk, but carefully staying out of sight.
She walked back to the front entrance and climbed behind her desk. I could hear the shaking voice. “Yvette isn’t here today, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, but would you like to see someone else?”
“No, Yvette, now.” The woman’s voice did not raise but it demanded respect. There was an underlying tone of steel behind the words, an inability to listen to a denial.
“Ma’am, I can’t just let you into the office. We’re not allowed to have personal visitors.”
“I’m not here for a personal visit. I need to see her now.” The woman was demanding in a hard voice that sent shivers down my spine.
I thought that I was going to pass out as I heard the encounter continue. It wasn’t stopping. That strange old lady knew that I was there and wasn’t going to be fooled by our little game. She needed to see me and it was important. I just didn’t understand why it was important to her. I couldn’t be that special, until my mind went back to the invitation to the party.
I had been informed that I was dragon blooded. I still struggled with the definition that I had been descended from dragons. How did that work? I tried to picture it in my mind, but it wasn’t working, I just kept getting some distorted image in my mind of a woman and a winged scaly reptile trying to get it on, but I was pretty sure that wasn’t possible. I couldn’t figure it out and that didn’t matter at that moment.
That woman was coming for me and I had no idea what she was going to do to me. I don’t want to admit this, but it’s true. I was sure that that woman wanted me dead, I just didn’t know how she planned to kill me. Maybe she was slowly poisoning my coffee every day or putting lead paint chips into my food at home while I was at work. Lead paint can make you hallucinate, can’t it? I couldn’t remember. Then I noticed she was coming, shuffling through the office in the same dress that she was wearing last time.
It was the same navy blue with shocking white polka dots, the dots were tiny little things; they looked more like holes in the dress until I looked closely at them. I felt the shudder start to form at the base of my spine as her eyes began to dart all over my body. I felt naked again. “May I help you?”
She said nothing, of course, she said nothing; she hadn’t said anything to me last time. What made me think she was going to do anything different this time?
“What can I do for you?” I asked again, trying to fill the uncomfortably empty air with sound. The neighboring cubicles were starting to stare at this woman and me and I started to sweat. Her teeth began to click and clack as she looked at me; it was the sound of dentures being shifted in her mouth as she moved her jaw back and forth. I didn’t know what she was trying to do, but the effect was beyond frightening. I stood there letting her stare and once again she said nothing. I felt like I was losing my mind. Of course I was starting to get used to the idea of losing my mind so I didn’t let it bother me as much as it should have.
“Ma’am, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what the problem is.” I wanted answers or for the woman to leave.
She didn’t answer. I should have known, she never answered my questions as she stared at me, dagger eyes and a dragon headed cane. I noticed the cane a little more this time and I couldn’t help but note how similar it looked to the creature that I had seen at the ball that night. My eyes locked on it for a moment before she turned on her heels and shuffled out of my office, leaving me to deal with the ramifications.
My boss had thought I was entertaining my grandmother, or something. It took quite a bit of convincing to let him know that I had no idea who this woman was. Once he had been convinced, it became clear that he was worried. He wanted me to call the cops but how could I explain any of this or anything that had happened to me since I met Alistair. I struggled to see the truth, to find myself in the events that had circled around me.
CHAPTER NINE
I was ready for the day to end a few hours before it actually did end. When the time came to leave and there was no one out in the parking lot to pull me into a strange conversation, I was pleased and quickly loaded my roses into the passenger seat, buckling them into the seat so that they weren’t destroyed while being transported. I had briefly wondered if I should have left them at the office, but I was dealing with enough and I didn’t want to remind Barbie about the strange changes in my life. I didn’t know if I could answer the questions that she had without
getting myself committed. So I took the roses home. It was better that way; it had to be.
I started to drive home, ready to spend the evening with a glass of cheap wine and some reality television. There was a new episode of that show that puts naked people in dangerous situations and it excited me a little bit. I was really looking forward to it.
I had no idea that I was going to miss it, but it was destined to happen, at least that’s what I believe. That’s what I’ll continue to believe as long as no other proof presents itself. There’s something comforting about the nature of destiny, of some parts of life being beyond control. I still appreciate that, and will continue to until I am absolutely confronted with the proof that I have to change. It’s just in my nature I guess, this natural resistance to change and expand my horizons. A lot of people are like that, and perhaps the world might be a happier place if we all learned to accept these small life changes a little faster, but I’m getting off topic. You aren’t here to listen to me spout off in philosophical musings, you want to hear about my adventure and the way that I met the man I was destined to marry and live my life with. I’ll get back on track now.
I was on my way home when one more unimaginably impressive thing happened to me. I didn’t stare; I was beyond that. This time, I pulled over and checked to see if I was truly seeing what I thought I was seeing. It was the great beast, the creature that I had seen in that courtyard, curled on the grass of the park. It was looking at me with those great giant yellow eyes, the ones that were so gentle and kind. I was drawn to them; I can’t explain it. I felt the daze start to form as I climbed out of my vehicle and walked toward the great beast. It was beautiful and I wanted to feel the scales under my fingers, to appreciate the dragon that was finally within reach of me.
I walked toward him, eager to see the beast that I had encountered before, wondering that if I touched it, would everything change. The fear hit me. What if it was real? What if I wasn’t crazy? I didn’t know what I would do then. My stomach turned into a knot as I realized that fact. If dragons were real, what other crazy things would that mean? What else was real? I stopped, not really sure if I was ready to face that consequence yet, not really knowing if anyone could ever be ready for it. There were so many possibilities. If there were dragons, did that mean that there were werewolves? Vampires? Fairies? What else was out there that I had never known about? I had no idea and that is probably the most frightening thought that I ever had.
The park was full of statues; maybe they had just placed a new one. Maybe I had lost my mind. Something was happening. I tried to make my legs work, to force me to run, to escape, to get back into the car and leave this encounter behind, but my legs were moving me forward, seeming to draw me closer to the winged beast, the kind of creature that inhabited a place of fantasy and knights, and most definitely didn’t belong in Kansas City in 2015.
Still I walked forward, something drew me to him and I approached carefully, moving where he could see me. I suppose part of it was the fact that I was worried about him not seeing me. If a wild animal doesn’t see you approach it can panic and I didn’t exactly relish the thought of being swallowed whole, but the way I was doing it didn’t seem to make me much safer. I had to do something, though. This could be my last chance. It should have been my last chance. I knew that I should run, but curiosity took control. I had to do something. I had to see it. I knew it was a terrible idea, but I no longer cared. It was a dragon. A freaking dragon, what would you do in my shoes?
I noticed he was wounded, d, but I couldn’t tell what caused them. The gentle dragon looked at me with sadness in his eyes as he watched me approach. I began to see the long gaping gashes along the creature’s side and onto his wings. I felt bad for it, suddenly guilty, like I had caused the problem. I hadn’t caused it, at least not directly. There was no way I could have left the horrible wounds on the creature. I’m not capable of that.
I approached and the dragon lowered his scaly head and looked at me with a bit of fear in his eyes. I might have been projecting, but it didn’t matter. I had to help. I touched the beast, the scales were cool at first, but quickly it warmed. It felt like I was feeling the heat of this creature through a blanket of sheet metal. It took time to transfer into my hand. I loved the feeling. It felt like magic. That still is the only way I have to describe that.
“You’re hurt.” It was all I could say with my voice softened by awe. The creature nodded, or at least I think he nodded, responding to my words. “What happened?”
The dragon didn’t answer, instead he watched me as I examined the wounds.
“I don’t know what to do.” I told him, my voice still trapped in a whisper as I looked at him.
He nodded again. This time I was certain.
“You can understand me?”
Another nod was my response.
“Wow.” It was all that I could say. “How?”
He shook his head, the scales causing glittering patterns on the ground. It felt like he was talking to me.
“You can’t tell me, can you?” I was starting to figure it all out.
The creature shook his head.
“Why?”
The movement in the shoulders seemed almost like a shrug.
“I forgot, I’m sorry. You can’t talk to me.” I recognized the creature. It felt strange still, this communication. “You were at the party.” He nodded at me and his eyes brightened at me. I enjoyed that.
I glanced around. There were cars driving by and people in the park. No one seemed to notice me standing there with a dragon. “Can they see us?”
The beast shook its head. It was a strange type of conversation. The beast wasn’t speaking, but it certainly was starting to feel like he was. I could swear we were having a conversation, but we weren’t, or were we? I don’t know how to explain it, but the creature was intelligent, able to interact and understand.
“They can’t. I wonder…” I let my thought trail off into nothing.
My bestial companion wasn’t going to let the question go. He looked at the people passing by. He looked at them and I followed his gaze. He shook his head no and closed his eyes.
“They can’t see us?”
He shook his head. No.
“They won’t see us?”
A shrug and nod. Yes, sort of.
“They refuse to see us.” It was starting to make sense.
He gave a more vigorous nod. Yes.
It felt good to learn a system. “They refuse to see us. They would be afraid?”
A nod. Yes with a tug at the lip. He was smiling. It made me feel nice to understand what he was trying to say to me.
“What are you?”
His eyes snapped to me and he cocked his head. Duh, you already know the answer to that. The face was expressive. He was speaking to me without speaking to me. It wasn’t telepathy or anything like that, but rather some sort of strange connection between us.
“A dragon. You’re a dragon.”
A nod. Yes.
“Dragons don’t exist.” I don’t know why I was still insisting on something that had already been proven.
He shook his head at me. No.
I continued to trace his wounds. “This could get infected. Do you have someone who can check it out?”
A nod. Yes. That made me feel good, but his gaze had moved. He was staring into the bushes by his side. A wing wrapped around me and I felt like I was being embraced by the beast, brought close to him as another creature made its way towards us. It was covered in shadows. I couldn’t see it at first as I watched through a torn bit of the wing. The injuries were worse than I had thought and I felt guilty for not noticing.
I watched as the creature lumbered on all fours toward the both of us. I was hidden in his wing. I felt a little safer in there, surrounded by his protective embrace. I could feel the beating of the dragon’s heart. It was a large thump thump, almost like my own pulse, but it was thunderous. It felt nice, but I should have been frightened.
I felt the fear start to rise up and I gazed out of my shield, through the ragged hole in the wing. The heartbeat surrounding me started to speed and my one heartbeat was matching the thumping pace. It was a strange sensation to match heartbeats with this monstrous thing. Perhaps that is the wrong word for it. It was a great, gigantic thing, but I didn’t see it as a monster.
I watched. The bear closed in, head down and growling and no one seemed to notice anything that was happening. There was a bear and a dragon close to blows in a park in the middle of Kansas City and no one around saw a thing. It was surreal as I felt the beast that protected me shift slowly. He was getting ready to fight the bear, the furry beast looked uninjured, unbothered by the threat of violence. I shuddered, frightened of this creature, of the kind of hatred in his eyes.
The bear’s eyes landed on me. He stared at me for a long moment then backed away. I thought it was odd, but the wing unraveled itself around me and I was pushed away from the dragon. Pushed in the direction of my car I still found myself standing and staring for a long moment. Something strange was happening and I couldn’t quite understand it. I was confused and in danger, but when the bear turned to me again and growled, I figured it all out and ran as fast as my feet would carry me, panic lodged in my heart. I heard the screeches and growls behind me as I tried to get out of the situation I was in. I had to escape. They were powerful creatures intent on killing each other. I had to get out. Still, I wondered how a bear could hurt a dragon like that.
I got my answer when I reached my vehicle and turned back toward the pair. The bear was swinging and the dragon was backing up. The crowd of people around the fight had slipped away, still not noticing the epic battle in their midst. I saw the bear swing, a jagged claw coming down toward the dragon’s wing. My heart skipped a beat and once again, I was frozen, staring at this combat. I felt a little strange standing there, staring at these beasts that only I could see.