“Why?”
At her intense interest, he bit his lip and lowered his gaze. “They all wanted something from me, something that I couldn’t do or give them.” Well the truth was, he refused. The weight of Elianna’s stare made him want to squirm. She reached over and attempted to move the hair out of his face. Heart thumping, Thaniel scooted down the bench, putting a good foot between them. “No, don’t.”
Elianna dropped her hand. “All right,” she said, but she continued to stare. Thaniel hunched his shoulders, sure he’d blown it. “Do you ever wish you had a family?”
Thaniel frowned and relaxed a tiny bit. “Sure.” Who wouldn’t? Although he had one once, and that hadn’t turned out so good.
“So, if you had a family, a home, you’d leave here?” she asked.
His frown deepened. He didn’t understand why she was asking him some of this stuff. “That’s not going to ever happen.”
Elianna scowled as if she was trying to understand him. He could see she was perplexed. “Don’t you want a family? A girlfriend, or wife, kids, a home? Don’t you have any dreams, Thaniel?” she asked with annoyance, and then pursed her lips as if she’d said too much.
Anger and hurt filled him at her tone. She didn’t know what had happened in his life, the darkness that had ravaged his soul during childhood. He lowered his head, hiding how badly her question hurt. “Dreams don’t do any good,” he murmured. Why dream an impossible dream that would only hurt later when it was smashed to smithereens?
“Everyone should have dreams, goals,” she said, a little more patience in her tone now, and though he wanted to correct her, he didn’t. For someone like him, whose soul had long ago been crushed, dreams only ended up destroying even more of his fragile heart and will to live.
“Why are you here?” he asked. He knew he sounded defensive, but he had to know.
Elianna stilled and Thaniel got the feeling he’d caught her at something, though he had no idea what.
“What do you mean?” she asked, cautiously.
“I mean, why are you here, with me? What do you want?” he asked, puzzled.
For a long moment, Elianna didn’t say anything, she just studied him. Then she glanced away and took a deep breath before standing up. “Maybe I’ll tell you tomorrow. Later, Thaniel.” She started to leave, only to stop and look back at him. “Oh, hey, why does your friend, the big guy, spend so much time at the cemetery?” Elianna nodded toward Government Way where there were a few cemeteries.
Startled, Thaniel stared at her. Real spends his time at the cemetery? That was news to him. Seeing his surprise, Elianna shrugged and without waiting for him to say anything else, she hurried away.
Chapter Three
True Colors
DEEP IN THOUGHT and worried, Thaniel walked back to his shelter. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked what Elianna wanted from him, but her questions and ideas about dreams had brought up too much that he tried to keep buried. It had hurt. Still, he worried that he might have offended her. What if she didn’t come back? He disregarded the inner voice telling him to beware because it was nice having someone interested in him, someone to talk with.
Real wasn’t at their tent. Wondering what was going on with his friend, Thaniel turned and quickly made his way over toward Government Way. It was disturbing to realize that Elianna knew more about Real than he did.
Again, the question popped up. What did she really want? He didn’t buy that she was just curious about him.
Thaniel shoved her to the back of his mind and picked up his pace, suddenly sure that he’d been missing something all along regarding his friend, though he had no idea what. What could Real possibly be doing over here?
Thaniel searched the Greenwood Cemetery without seeing any sign of his friend. Then, feeling silly, and knowing Real probably wouldn’t like him in his business, he turned to leave when something made him stop. Looking around, he frowned and then kept walking until he was at the Mount Nebo Cemetery.
He slowed and scanned all around, not spotting anyone. This is crazy. What am I doing? he asked himself when a movement had him stopping in his tracks. Thaniel ducked behind a large headstone. It was Real, sitting with his shoulders hunched as he spoke in quiet tones while staring at a small angel-shaped headstone.
It really is him. Elianna was right. But why is he here? Is this where he goes every day? He watched, and a few minutes later Real stood. Then, with a last glance at the grave, he turned and walked away.
Thaniel waited until he couldn’t see Real, then eased out and made his way over to the grave. There was an angel with wings carved into the small marble headstone. Thaniel blinked as he read the words, words he once wouldn’t have been able to decipher, but thanks to Real, he now could.
Daddy’s sweet little Angel. Angelica Marie Divinity. Born 2003 - Died 2009.
Thaniel stared at the tombstone, stunned. Real used to have a daughter? Did he have a wife, too? And if so, where was she? Then he realized that the date, 2009, was the same year that his friend had rescued him. It just proved how little he really knew about Real. The worn spot on the ground suggested his friend visited the grave a lot, like every day. Not that Thaniel could blame him.
Unsure of what to think, but knowing it explained so much about Real, Thaniel made his way back to the tent. He half thought he’d find Real there, but their little home was empty.
When Real did arrive later that evening, he had a deep scowl on his face. Thaniel watched him sniff the air, then lean in and sniff in Thaniel’s direction.
“Is everything okay?” Thaniel asked, startled and curious. He wished Real would talk to him. He wanted to know what happened to Real’s daughter, and tell him about Elianna, get his opinion.
Real Just stared at Thaniel, his lime-green eyes flared with anger and Thaniel wondered if Real knew his secret. Then Real turned away.
Thaniel settled down for the night, wishing Peanut was there for company, but the cat was nowhere to be seen.
The next morning, Thaniel awoke to find Peanut curled up against his chest and Real packing up his meager belongings.
“Moving?” Thaniel asked, surprised. They had only been in this spot for two weeks.
Real nodded and Thaniel knew he could either go with Real or not. The choice was his, and Real would not ask. They’d lived like this for six years. Every few months Real would suddenly pack up and Thaniel would follow him to whatever new location he had picked out.
Thaniel thought about Elianna. He liked the idea that she was just looking for a friend, but he had a choice to make. He could stay behind in the slim hope of seeing her again or go with Real. It was a no brainer, really. He needed Real’s protection.
His instinct to survive had gotten him this far, and he wasn’t quite ready to give up. He’d miss having someone to talk to, but he’d stay with the one friend who’d kept him safe.
Saddened but not wanting to be left behind, he gathered up his few belongings, picked Peanut up, and climbed outside. In silence they disassemble the tent and then he followed Real to a new location.
Thaniel knew Real had scoped out the place beforehand when he led Thaniel to an old, musty-smelling abandoned building a mile away. Dust covered the place and Thaniel sneezed as Real led him up to the second floor. Real dropped his stuff near an inner wall and Thaniel set Peanut down, then laid out his pallet. Real did the same, leaving the tent folded up a few feet away. Then Real stood and made his way back toward the stairs.
Thaniel watched his friend. “You going to be at the kitchen tonight?” Peanut had sauntered off to explore. Real didn’t slow down or answer, so Thaniel took that as a no.
Shoulders slumped, a feeling of intense loneliness filled Thaniel. He stood up and followed in Real’s footsteps down to the main floor and outside. He needed to find something to put in his belly. He wasn’t surprised when he didn’t see his friend anywhere, even though Thaniel had been almost right behind him. Real had a knack for disappearing like he hadn’t even been
there.
Distracted, Thaniel set out toward the area with the most restaurants. He was trying to figure out why Real moved them again so soon, when he turned the corner and almost ran into Elianna.
A part of him was ecstatic to see her, but another part was uneasy. “How did you find me?” Why was she still following him? He hadn’t sensed her this time, but then he hadn’t been paying attention. Now that she was right in front of him, he could smell the faint but familiar musk and jasmine.
Elianna just shrugged and turned away. When he didn’t immediately follow, she frowned. “Come on, I’ll help you look for some food.”
Without a word, he hurried to catch up, but something inside of him screamed that he should run far away from her. He ignored the warning, just happy his move hadn’t lost her. Covertly, through the mess of his long hair, he studied her as he walked. She was strange, and so tiny. How could she be a threat?
When they found food, Thaniel offered her some, but she declined. “I ate already.”
“Are you all right?” he finally asked, as she’d been very quiet. Elianna frowned at him and nodded.
“Yes, why?”
Thaniel shrugged and looked away, suddenly self-conscious. He couldn’t explain it, but the instinct that something was wrong, wouldn’t leave him alone.
Elianna didn’t say anything, but he got the feeling she was waiting for him to do or say something, but he didn’t know what.
“See you tomorrow,” she finally said and without a backward glance, hurried away.
Confused by her actions, Thaniel watched her for a moment.
He was relieved that she hadn’t asked anymore prying questions, but couldn’t help the unsettled feeling she left him with. By the time they met the next day, the niggling warning in his head was but an echo, buried deeply under a false sense of happiness.
“I found food,” she said and held up a brown paper bag. Thaniel’s stomach clenched in hunger. Then Elianna turned and once again walked away. This time Thaniel didn’t wait for her to ask before he hurried after her.
A few moments later Elianna glanced at him. “I want you to be my mate.”
Thaniel had no idea what she meant. Was she asking him to be her boyfriend? He had no money, nothing. What would she want him to do?
He noticed the bag of food swinging by her side. It was obvious she hadn’t just found the food since it was fresh and not covered in other garbage.
“Come, we’ll go sit somewhere. It will be like a picnic,” she said, leading him over one block and around to the back of a large warehouse. She led him past a loading dock to a set of cement barricades lined up near the wall. Elianna climbed up onto one and patted the spot beside her. “Sit.”
Nervous, Thaniel sat and waited while she pulled fresh wrapped burgers and French fries out of the bag and handed them to him. Then she pulled the same out for herself.
Where or how she’d gotten the food, Thaniel didn’t care and wasn’t about to question. It tasted heavenly.
After they ate, Elianna shoved everything into the bag before moving closer to him. Then she put her arm around his waist and pressed into his side. Thaniel tensed up.
“What, why do you want me as your—” He swallowed and tried not to pull away.
“My mate?” she asked.
He nodded. “What does that mean? You’d be my girlfriend?”
Elianna was silent for a moment. “Kinda,” she said and looked away.
He was stunned. Why would she want him? He was nothing. Knowing he should just keep his mouth closed and accept it, he couldn’t. “Why me as your boyfriend?” he asked, his heart in his throat.
Elianna turned and the intensity in her golden-eyed stare made him shiver. “Because … I need you,” she said cryptically.
“What do you mean?” he asked, hating that he was possibly about to push her away with his questions, but he couldn’t stop.
Instead of answering, she inched closer and reached out to push his hair away from his face.
“No, don’t,” he said, pulling back. He wasn’t ready for her to see all of him.
“You have to let me touch you sometime.” Frowning, she lowered her hand.
Thaniel trembled. “I … I’m just not used to being touched.”
Elianna sighed heavily. “I’m going to give you everything you want,” she said, and a chill rushed down his spine. He had the feeling that his idea of everything and hers were completely different.
He wanted to ask her what that meant, but the words stuck in his throat as she moved closer and tilted her head. Thin but pretty red lips hovered an inch from his in invitation. His eyes widened and he forgot what he wanted to ask. Though warning bells clanged in his head, the desire to taste her, to experience his first ever kiss, dominated all else. The ache to be close to someone—anyone, was overwhelming.
Thaniel stared into golden eyes that dared him to kiss her, and he tentatively lowered his lips to hers. Though his senses were tingling in warning, he wanted this and shoved past the alarm. They kissed and he marveled at how soft her lips felt against his. Then her tongue slipped into his mouth, making his mind reel with wonder.
So this is what it felt like. It wasn’t as special as he’d thought it would be, but still, it was nice to feel wanted for once. Then Elianna pulled away. He leaned forward for more, but she shook her head.
“I’m sorry. Did I do it wrong?” he asked, disappointed. I should have known better. I can’t do anything right.
Elianna smiled and shook her head. “No, Thaniel, you were fine.” He frowned at the strange light faintly glowing in her eyes. It must be the reflection of the sunlight, he thought, turning to glance up at the sky. No, the angle is wrong.
Elianna slipped an arm around his waist and lowered her head to his shoulder. Okay, maybe everything is fine, he thought when a piercing pain shot through his shoulder. It snaked down into his arm, wrist, and hand.
“What—” he cried out and tried to pull away, but her teeth sank deep into his flesh and she held him tightly against her.
He struggled to get away, suddenly realizing she was a lot stronger than he would ever have imagined. Her arm was like a vice holding him still as she bit him again and again. Needle thin teeth that were no longer human, pierced his flesh.
“You are intoxicating,” she murmured between bites.
The muskiness grew stronger as excruciating pain radiated in waves, like pulses, throughout his whole body. He began to twitch uncontrollably. The echo of a can rolling along the ground didn’t even register.
***
ELIANNA SPENT MONTHS following and watching Thaniel, trying to find another solution to her problem. In the end she’d come up empty. Time wasn’t on her side and her troubles weren’t going away. She had to take action.
She knew he’d been aware of her from the start, though how he knew, still puzzled her. He was human and she’d been careful. Quiet. She’d used her surroundings, along with her supernatural ability, to disguise herself. Yet despite all that, he’d been aware almost from the beginning.
In order for her plan to work, she had to gain his trust. She tried to tell herself she’d be giving him a better life, but it was a lie meant to make her feel better about what she needed to do.
Finally, heart pounding in uncertainty, and knowing what she attempted was against Were law and all kinds of wrong, she had emerged from the shadows.
Aware that Thaniel feared her, Elianna had been prepared to give chase when he ran, but instead, even though she immediately sensed his alarm, he offered her food.
Surprised, she started to say no, but then seeing it as a way to turn the situation to her advantage, accepted. Elianna walked with Thaniel who had been anxious to put some distance between them and the dumpster.
Shocked over his offering, she ate the bun while covertly studying him. His kindness touched her and she quickly realized there was more to Thaniel than she had initially thought. No one ever cared if she was hungry.
&nb
sp; Hurry up, you can’t afford to waste time! Her mind pressed, yet her heart held her back. I don’t want to spook him, she told herself and suddenly, her earlier excitement that she’d finally dared approach him, wore off. Fatigue had set in.
Not wanting him to see her weakness, she said goodbye and hurried away.
When she tracked him down the next day, Elianna hardened her heart. She couldn’t afford to like him. Yet, against her best efforts, he was already growing on her, which was not part of her scheme.
Though he smelled and his hair was utterly filthy, it was hard not to spy his beauty both inside and out, no matter how he hid it. Living on the streets for so long, he should have been hard and cruel. Instead, he was the exact opposite. Though definitely broken inside, he was sweet and kind.
Again she told herself the lie that she’d be helping him, saving him as she planted the idea of having a family in his head. The reality was, it would be easier for her if he went with her willingly. She had thought it would be so easy, for who wouldn’t want a family? Yet as they talked, it became apparent that he didn’t believe he’d ever have, or deserve one.
All her life she’d had to fight for everything, steeling her heart against all the taunts that she wasn’t like the others in her clan. Thaniel’s lack of self-worth and acceptance of his situation shocked her. She didn’t understand why he wouldn’t fight for such things. As feelings she wasn’t familiar with churned inside her, she became royally pissed off. Her unexpected reaction baffled her, until she realized why.
They hit too close to her own fears.
He’d further surprised her when he noticed that something was wrong with her. No one in her clan ever noticed, or maybe they just didn’t want to see?
Either way, she could no longer wait, she needed to get over her aversion to what she intended to do and turn Thaniel into one of her kind.
***
Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Page 92