How to Date a Dragon (Paranormal Dragon Romance Book 1)

by Serena Rose

  This time, he shook his head. “What for? You haven’t said yes, yet.”

  “What makes you think I will?”

  “I’m not. I’m just hoping for it. See you five in the afternoon? The benches near Clarke Building.”

  She watched as he walked away, and Kelsey told herself that she was giving him a piece of her mind later, even if there were people around.

  *

  He was just sitting there, reading a book, a tranquil look on his face, as the last rays of the sun filtered down on him through the leaves. It was a romantic sight, and it was something she nearly didn’t want to disturb. She took a breath and walked purposefully towards him. He looked up as soon as she was a few feet away from him, placing his book aside.

  She took a deep breath and sat down a good few inches apart from him.

  “I’m glad you came,” he said to her, looking at her.

  “Isn’t this too public for your liking?”

  “There’s no one here, not when it’s about to rain again.”

  “You know, I sometimes think your ancestors chose Oregon for the weather.”

  “It’s pleasant?” he said, raising his brows.

  “You mean it barely has any outstanding heat,” she told him.

  “I think you’re right,” he said.

  “Why are we here, then?” she said, wanting to get it over with.

  “I mentioned I’d want to date you exclusively, if you’d have me, that is,” he told her.

  “I’m not interested,” came her quick response.

  “Why?”

  “I’m just not interested.”

  “There has to be a reason why you aren’t,” he said.

  “Fine,” she snapped, exasperated at keeping her cool. She sighed heavily. “You know why I think this isn’t good? Because you’re already calling the shots and we’re not even a couple yet. We’ve only dated once, a proper date once, at your house. I don’t even know your real name-”

  “William Anthony Drake VI,” he cut her off.

  “I don’t even know who you are.”

  “I’m the son of William Anthony V.”

  “I don’t even know what you really do.”

  “The school you’re enrolled in, with your scholarship, is basically part of what I do,” he replied, as if enjoying her frustration.

  “Part of it.”

  “What else do you do? Apart from read? Or try to date people who go to your college?”

  He laughed a mocking laugh.

  “I dislike it when you do that. It’s like you make fun of everyone beneath you.”

  “I’ve been raised with that mentality, mind you,” he told her. “But let’s get back to where you were. Any other complaints?”

  “I- wait,” she said, momentarily distracted. She was here to rant, she was here to raise whatever hell she could. She was here to be the foil to his very plans of getting a temporary ‘exclusive girlfriend’. “You distracted me. Boy, you’re good at this.”

  “And you’re rambling.”

  “And you’re being a prick. I can’t date someone like you. You’re entitled, obnoxious, and you pretend like you’re hiding every mystery on the planet.”

  “Go on.”

  “I’ve said my peace. I don’t want to date you.”

  “Is that why you agreed to come here?”

  “Just because you’re good-looking doesn’t mean you can easily sway someone’s decision.”

  “So, you think I’m good-looking?”

  She saw his lip curl up and she ignored it. “Of course, any vain person would know they’re good looking.”

  His sneer dropped, and he sighed. “It’s hard to be subtly nice, when you’re perceived as obnoxious.”

  “It’s not hard to be nice,” Kelsey said.

  “I’m trying though, trying to date you.”

  “Oh, is that why we’re in a public place? Where you think I’d be happy? I’m not asking for a Hollywood worthy relationship.”

  “Which I’ll never give,” he muttered, but she didn’t pay attention to it.

  “But maybe, you could tell me the reason why you’re afraid to be seen with me.”

  He was quiet for a moment, as the sun finally set in the horizon, and the automated street lights began to flicker on. “I’m not afraid to be seen with you, but there are certain things about my family that make it difficult.”

  She looked at him, knew he was from a very old family. Heck, his family name didn’t sound quite popular to begin with. He was no regular Smith, or Vanderbilt, or Rockefeller. Did they build their fortune through illegal practices? If they did, what would it matter to her, that was hundreds of years ago, and he played no part in it.

  “How difficult is difficult?” she asked him, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

  He looked back at her, unflinching. “Otherworldly difficult.”

  She frowned, looking at her hands on her lap. Did that even make sense? Did he even grasp the current situation he was in? Or was he acting out? Was this a plea for help?

  “You have issues I may not be able to help with,” she spoke up.

  He laughed quietly. “I’m not looking for help, nor am I some charity case you should spend your entire time with. I’m just letting you know that there are certain things in my family that will never cease to bother me. I am, however, willing to take a chance at this. If you’ll have all of me.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t make it sound like a vow.”

  “Yes, being earnest doesn’t suit me,” he huffed.

  “I like it better when you’re candid, and a dick.”

  He pretended to look hurt. “That was way harsh, Kells.”

  “No one’s called me that in a while.”

  “Kells?”

  She nodded, remembering her father.

  “Kells is a town in Ireland, known for being home to an-”

  “Illuminated manuscript,” she finished for him with a smile.

  He smiled. “I see you’ve read more than your fair share of historical artefacts. Why didn’t you become an archaeologist instead?”

  “I’d have wanted to become an academic peer. Maybe I could- we’ll see…” her voice trailed off. “Anyway, that’s another story I can tell you, not that we’re exclusively dating- although I don’t get why you’d want to be so formal about it, most people just keep going on dates until they get serious enough for this type of discussion.”

  “I’m just staking my claim,” he said, grinning.

  She rolled her eyes and tried to hide a smile.

  CHAPTER NINE

  He felt compelled to say it. Always stake your claim, it was the beast’s mantra, and he found it easier to protect what he owned, no matter if it all seemed psychological. That had been a month ago, and it had been a month of that puppy-love bliss, at least it seemed like puppy love. He did feel happy around her, although he didn’t feel ecstatic bliss. He did feel something else far calmer, like she fit right into whatever empty piece there was in him.

  It was something he knew he’d never tell her. Falling in love was easy, it was choosing to stay in love and acting on it that was hard. He took her on dates, private ones whenever possible. They’d gone camping once, enjoying the stars in the dark sky within his family’s property, a first to him, one he wasn’t likely to forget.

  William knew he didn’t control her life, although sometimes, due to his nature, he’d make decisions for her, like how he didn’t want her to walk to work, or classes, and he wanted to gift her with a car, and she hated the idea of it. In the end, he gave her a bike, and her eyes lit up with glee. Majority of their time they spent it in his house, and they enjoyed the quiet together, each lost in a book, sometimes sharing one, and then sharing ideas. Again, that was something new to him, and it was something he relished.

  In that month alone, he found out more about the woman he was dating. Kelsey was innately kind, that was a given, but her temper was something that flared easily too, especially if he
seemed indifferent about certain things, and the certain things were many. He had been so used to having his way, of course. She wasn’t street smart, more of bookish when it came to solving things, but her emotional quotient was far higher than his, that was for sure. Had he been so locked up in his beastly image that he only picked out when he’d wanted to be nice to people?

  He hadn’t had the chance to introduce Kelsey to Emilia yet, he had a feeling Emilia would be over the moon to know about his dating life. He did tell Kelsey that he had a younger sister in Oxford, and that he had a stepmother, who was in no way cruel.

  “Does smart run in the family?”

  “We’re a family that enjoys reading, that’s a given,” he replied.

  “Is she as pretty as you?” she joked.

  “I’d like to say I am,” he replied.

  “What happened to your mother?” she suddenly asked him, her face turning serious.

  She died, when she gave birth to me, he wanted to say, because I’m actually not completely human. “She passed away when I was young.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “Don’t be. We’ve all lost a parent, and yet, we’re still here.”

  She looked at the flames for a few seconds. “Say, Will, people have started to talk about us.”

  “You mean people at HT?” he derided. “You don’t need to pay attention to what they have to say.”

  If Klaus was affected, that would be fine though, he thought. Since they were dating discreetly, Klaus still talked to Kelsey every chance he had, and that was something he couldn’t really bother with, lest he want his jealousy to turn into a beast.

  “I thought you didn’t want that.”

  “Do you want that?” he asked her.

  She shook her head. “I don’t.”

  “I didn’t force you into this. If you want to leave, you can, especially if it’s affecting you.”

  “It’s not affecting me. At least I don’t think it is. It’s our relationship, not theirs,” she said stubbornly.

  “Chill,” he told her with a smile.

  “Sorry,” she said, breaking into a smile herself, “I tend to rationalize and think a lot. This one’s got me thinking a lot.”

  And then it dawned on William. She was falling in love with him. He stared at her, unwilling to let his thoughts invade their date night.

  As soon as he had taken her home, he took that time to reflect on what was happening between them, and how it affected him, how it affected his emotions with her. He didn’t want to be that kind of human, he didn’t want to be that kind of boyfriend. Adjusting was easy, but adjusting her life for his? He had heeded his sister’s advice, find someone, and date someone. Did he follow his own advice though? The part where he need not get attached to anyone? There were repercussions, even if time had passed, the modern age still had consequences that he wasn’t ready to deal with.

  He told himself he was going to get her access to healthcare, healthcare that meant he didn’t get her pregnant. Accidents like that weren’t allowed to happen. She had told him her periods were irregular, and that she sometimes missed out months of it. William knew that wouldn’t be a reason to be relaxed about it. He had almost forgotten that important thing. All of his previous dates had different forms of protection.

  William shook his head, knowing he was too distracted with her company. Don’t lose it, Will, he told himself, focus on yourself first.

  *

  He carried a bottle of brandy down to his father’s lair, two glasses in one hand, and the bottle in the other. His father was sitting in one corner, book in hand. He looked up and greeted his firstborn and only son.

  “Ah, you’re here.”

  “Sorry I took a while,” William replied. He had meant to visit his father frequently, but these had been reduced to once a week. “Are you ready to go back up?”

  “And leave this dark, hell hole?” his father scoffed teasingly.

  “Glad to know you still have your humor intact.”

  “Times like these, one can only rely on so much humor,” the senior Drake replied.

  “How have you been?” William asked, setting down the glasses and brandy on the table. He surveyed the area quickly, wondering if his father had shifted at all in the past few days. He hadn’t heard of anything too violent that prompted him to be sedated.

  “Been great, no nervous breakdowns so far.”

  William nodded as he poured drinks for them. “Good. Here.”

  “Aged 50 years?” his father said, sniffing the air as he walked for the table.

  “You know your brandy well.”

  “How is Emilia?”

  “She’s been accepted into Oxford,” William said, “Arrangements have been made for her and Natalia.”

  “How is she?” his father looked morose for a moment.

  “Your wife? She’s okay. Shopped more than the usual. I suspect it was the last shifting that done did it.”

  “Emilia is alright though?”

  “Yes, she is. Doing great with her studies.”

  William Anthony Drake V, or Tony, as he was called, gave a sigh. “And I wasn’t even there for her acceptance.”

  “You needed to be well enough,” William told him mildly. “Perhaps you can take one of our planes-”

  “And risk burning it down if I shift without my knowing it?”

  “Of course, you’ll know it,” William said, taking a sip of his drink. He didn’t enjoy brandy much, but his father did. “You’re getting better, I can see that.”

  “This is what’s left of my sanity and strength, Will. I don’t want you to go through this, you’ll put everyone in danger, and everyone you love will die in the end.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I can smell her sometimes, you know, the young woman who keeps entering our manor.”

  William said nothing, though, as he poured himself another shot. “So, I’ve been dating. Big deal, you married twice, had children-”

  “And look where I am now,” Tony said softly.

  “Underneath your house-”

  “Trapped for a lifetime, unless I free myself from this completely.”

  “You aren’t becoming like grandfather,” William told him exasperated. “Are you feeling unwell? Do you need the sedatives?”

  Tony shook his head, and William could see his father was getting agitated now. “Please calm down. You don’t want to overwork yourself.”

  “That’s a fancy way of saying I’ll shift and go berserk again?”

  “The cave is here for a reason, you’re near the cold ocean for a reason,” William said, sighing. “You haven’t taken your shot yet.”

  He watched as his father drank his brandy in a single gulp, slamming the glass down the table. “Is this the kind of life you want for yourself? It’s not the kind of life I wanted for you. It’s all a trade-off. Money for this curse, riches for this curse- I didn’t want your mother to die, Will. It was not in the cards, at least I’d hoped it wasn’t. I desperately hoped it wasn’t. It’s all been the same. Even if she didn’t die, I’d still end up alone. These humans, that’s the thing about them, they’re fragile, and they die. Why would you want your father as your companion for all eternity?”

  I can end this, William told himself. All that it was going to take was a little silver bullet to the head, a gilded blade to the heart… “It’s still company,” William said.

  “You’re going to kill that poor girl, if she ever gets pregnant-”

  “She won’t get pregnant,” William insisted.

  “I was lucky with Natalia, but she’s never been the same with me, after she found out, and I’m doing more harm than good to my daughter, who’s being kept away from me. I don’t think that’s the kind of life you’d want for yourself.”

  Natalia was indeed lucky, lucky she didn’t get pregnant with a son, lest she die immediately. Emilia was the luckiest, yet, as there had been no Drake women for centuries. What his fath
er said resonated with him.

  “Who is she?”

  “She is not anyone important.”

  “If she isn’t, then stop seeing her,” Tony demanded.

  “I need a life, we aren’t built to be solitary, unless we can’t shift back to human form,” William told him. “This is the modern age, father.”

  “Modern age, with an age-old curse,” his father muttered. “Why can’t we be free to shift? To burn towns to the ground? To take all the wealth that should be hours? Why must we hide? Can we not show them our power and our might? We, who have the devil’s appearance, scales and all? We, who cast flames from our bodies?”

  “Father, please, calm down,” William said, his voice higher this time. He forced the glass of brandy into his father’s quivering hand.

  His father looked at him, looked his square in the eye. “If you don’t even love that woman, break it off with her. There’s already so much pain in this world, you needn’t add pain to someone else. Use your moral compass, son.”

  William was unable to get a wink of sleep, not after what his father had said.

  *

  Kelsey didn’t want to think it was love, but there could be no other explanation for what she was feeling, was there? She found herself smiling to herself as she ended her shift, excited to meet him in a few. He wanted to meet her within the school grounds, and she wondered if he had begun to think that being public wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Sally apparently saw her smile and demanded to know who was causing it.

  “What?” Kelsey responded, “It’s not like you’ve never seen me happy.”

  “This is a different kind of happy,” Sally admonished. “Who is the lucky guy?”

  “I guess we’re both lucky,” Kelsey said, grabbing her messenger bag, and flinging it over her head, refusing the name who she was dating, or at least give a hint.

  “What about that Klaus kid?”

  “What about him?”

  “He’ll be heartbroken.”

  Kelsey shook her head. “He doesn’t see me that way. I think he just enjoys the fact that I like books as much as he does.”