Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) (13 page)

I was so tired and had no idea how my mother had done it.

The limo drove through two huge, beautiful wooden gates and revealed the beautiful manor once again. I wished that I’d taken the directions to the campsite from Sammy when she’d wanted to give them to me, but my schedule was swamped and I hadn’t even bothered. Now it was biting me in the ass.

The big oak trees calmed me immediately. Ever since that weekend Sir Robert brought all of us here, to show us the manor, I finally felt as if I belonged.

The dragons could just fly in but I had to use a set of keys.

I opened the door and made myself a cup of coffee.

My heart was still racing as anger flowed through my system. Why had he let me go through all of this if his plan was to strip me of my title, to prove that I was inadequate to run this world?

He was a devious snake.

“Oh, this is just fucking great.” Blake’s voice came from the door and all I saw was his back as he left for his room.

I felt like crying. What the hell was he doing here? I thought he was going with.

Still, this was another thing I was getting fed up with. I had tried everything with him, and yet he still treated me like vermin.

I knew it was against Paegeia’s laws or something to release a Dent, but my options were slowly getting fewer and fewer, and I had no more left.

I switched off the kettle and picked up my keys again.

My Volvo was parked in the garage. I wasn’t going to stay here, and I needed to get all of this out of my system. So I drove to Longbottoms.

I figured Jimmy and Monique might have some ideas about how to get rid of all my problems, and if they didn’t, well, I could always just let myself go, for one night.

Their faces lit up for a few seconds when I entered, and then their smiles disappeared.

“Oh crap,” Monique said. “What happened?”

I threw myself down at the bar and just started laying it all on the table. They listened, nodded when they should and gasped a couple of times when I told them about Caleb and what he’d been planning on doing this whole time. Then I switched over to Blake. He was driving me insane and not in a good way. It was so frustrating.

After that last beating, when I went haywire on his dad’s ass for almost killing him, it was as if I was the plague to him.

“I have nothing for you girl,” Monique said. “I wish there was a way, but we’ve tried all my ideas, and nothing worked. I really thought the Ducati would do the trick.”

“His affections can’t be bought.” I mimicked the stupid words he’d said that day when he’d chucked the key back at me. Like I said, I’d tried everything there was.

Jimmy turned around and opened the shelf. He slammed a bottle of hard liquor on the counter. “Maybe this can, well not so much about getting your dragon to act responsible or getting King Caleb’s approval, which by the way you don’t need, but it will help you. You need to just let go sometimes and who knows? The last time I let go, well, I got Longbottoms back and of course an amazing partner.”

I giggled. “You have to say that.”

“No, Elena. I don’t.”

I spent the entire afternoon up in the VIP Lounge. Monique took the rest of the day off, told Jimmy she needed to cheer me up and we chatted about everything.

I left so many messages with Sammy and Becky but none of them returned my calls and they probably had no bars or something, wherever they were.

Monique tried to alleviate all my worries and I had to say that whatever I was drinking, it helped a tiny bit.

When an upbeat tune started, I pulled Monique up and we started to dance in the VIP lounge which was closed to others. I hated that so much, but it was Jimmy’s rules. He didn’t want a repeat of last time when I’d come here to just let go. The papers were full of that night, making me sound like the most irresponsible human being on this earth. I guess I had to be an arrogant ass dragon to get away with it.

During the course of the night, it got really full. Now that Jimmy was back on track with Longbottoms, he could afford more live events on weekends. The band that played was good, but none of them were as good as Blake’s band. Why he’d had to stay this weekend was beyond my knowledge and I had to admit, I didn’t look forward to going back to the manor tonight. Maybe Jimmy would just let me sleep over at Longbottoms, but thinking about it, I guess my chances were zero as it was no place for a princess. A small fact that I still sucked at. I thought I’d go to a hotel and spend the night there. I thought that would be the best for both me and Blake as we might just tear each other apart tonight, and again, not in a good way.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when the bottle was almost finished, and I hardly felt the way I had with the shooters.

“The trick is not to mix,” Monique said as I questioned it, but right after that she ordered us cocktails from Charlie who managed the bar upstairs.

Then came the ugly buggers that I really struggled with. By the fourth one, my head was spinning, but I felt different about it this time.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t give a damn about anything, or anyone and what they expected from me.

We laughed at everything, continuously, which made the night even more fun.

Why couldn’t every day feel like this? Carefree and without a single problem in the world.

HEN THE BAND started to play one of Blake’s songs, I grabbed Monique’s hand and dragged her down with me.

I didn’t give a damn about who was checking me out, some even gave me the raised eyebrow, while others constantly took photos in my direction. I even posed for a couple, and I knew if Becky was here, she would’ve given me the thumbs-up.

Different guys bought me different drinks the entire night, some really tried desperately to speak to me but Monique was like a pitbull, one bark and they backed off.

I just laughed.

I got bumped hard from behind and my drink spilled all over me. Monique started to laugh and I couldn’t help but join her.

“Shit, sorry,” a cute, ruffled blond-haired guy said.

“It’s okay,” I said as he tried to clean up the mess all over my top. He didn’t even make eye contact with me.

“See what you made me do? Zach, you fucking idiot. Now I have to buy this nice girl another drink.” He spoke loudly over his shoulder and everyone laughed. Monique just stared at all of this with an expression that was hard to decipher.

“Sorry, I’ll get you a new one. What would—” He finally glanced up and stared right at me.

I raised my eyes once.

“Oh fuck, shit, sorry.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Forgive me, your Highness,”

“Elena is fine. And it’s not the end of the world. What is your name?”

“Just call me idiot, douche bag, whatever you want.”

I laughed again. He was really funny. “I’m not Arianna.” I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. It was his turn to laugh.

“Your secret is safe with me; so what can I get you to drink….Elena?”

“Just make it something sweet, with an umbrella and a straw.”

He laughed again and both Monique and I watched him leave toward the bar.

“He is seriously cute, or maybe I’ve just had too much to drink.”

“Well we did finish a bottle and a half, and don’t know how many shooters and cocktails,” I said and she laughed again. “But I agree, he is a fine young man.”

When he returned he had a tall, beautiful pink drink in his hands. “I hope you like strawberries and are not allergic to them, otherwise I’m seriously going to lose some points here.”

“What, the Rubicon is not scaring you away?”

“Blake? Hell no. He’s an idiot for letting you roam free.”

I laughed again.

“And I take it he has other things on his mind, except you. He’s still with that Snow Dragon, right?”

“Oh, the two of them are inseparable, she’s his precious.”

Monique laughed at the way I said it, and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Is it safe to leave her with you…” She waited for his name.

“Xavier,” he answered.

“Xavier?”

“Yes, I’m as harmless as they come.”

Monique raised her eyes and we laughed again as she gave me   a hug swaying from side to side. “I’m horribly drunk, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.”

“Oh, you bet I did. Go sleep it off. I’ll be fine.”

“Tap that ass.”

I screamed with laughter and she let go and wiggled like a duck toward the office at the back.

I stayed with Xavier for the entire night. We laughed, he was really funny, and I tried to keep up with his conversation about his life. He’d graduated from a school that was dragon free, and I remembered how I would’ve given anything to go to a normal school the first time I set foot in the Academy.

When an upbeat tune played, I would drag his ass up and we would dance.

The drinks flowed, and so did everything else that made me Princess Elena Malone-Squire.

The last thing I remembered a hundred percent was kissing Xavier for a long time, and when another upbeat tune played, we got up again.

But this time, it didn’t just stay on the dance floor. I got up on the table, flashes were following my every move and it was as if they gave me a boost in confidence, the kind I’d never had before.

I danced on the table for I don’t know how many songs.

“Elena.” I heard a familiar voice scolding me and I turned around.

More flashes went off in the area the voice came from and I started to laugh.

Of course the idiot would interfere now that I was actually having some fun.

“Loosen up, dude. Have a couple of drinks, heck have the entire bar.”

I yelled and everyone cheered with glasses in their hands. I mimicked them and drank a shot of something that was offered to me. I knew I made a speech too, but what I said, I had no idea, and there was definitely another kiss with Xavier and more flashing lights.

When I wanted to dance to another song that started to play, a pair of arms grabbed my legs, and forced me off the table and I fell over his shoulder.

“Party pooper!” I yelled.

“Shut the fuck up. You have no idea what tomorrow is going to do to you.”

“Oh, as if you seriously give a shit, Blake. What are you doing here anyway?” There was a song and laughter in my voice.

“Jimmy phoned, okay. He was worried and begged me to take you back to the manor.”

He was climbing down the stairs. Flashes were still going off, people were shouting questions, and I could hear one breaking with Blake grunting in their direction.

He was so weird, completely unreadable.

I’d never felt so drunk my entire life, everything spun and being carried away over Blake’s shoulder made it even worse.

I started to laugh as I tickled his sides. He didn’t even flinch.

“You are not ticklish.” I lifted my body up and looked over my shoulder but only saw the back of his head.

“No, I’m not,” he replied in a serious tone and I pulled my face and mimicked his seriousness softly which made me laugh again.

Voices yelled with more flashing lights and for some reason the footsteps of people running. He grunted, transformed and flew with me. He carried me on his paw instead of his back. Which I was grateful for as I would’ve just fallen off.

I started to sing, which was very annoying but for some reason it was such a hilarious song at that moment.

He growled slightly, which was good as I had to get him back for all those times he’d annoyed me in my head.

I sang louder which made him fly faster and then he just opened his paw.

I yelled for two seconds and then my body connected with ice cold water. I came up and gasped for air. I found my way to the edge. My clothes were soaking wet and my mind was clear as if I hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol that night.

I coughed uncontrollably, and found him lying next to the pool in their back yard, playing with his talons. Tears glistened in my eyes. He was so cruel. To take me away when I was having fun just so he could trample on me again. I couldn’t do this anymore.

“You are such an asshole Blake,” I called from the water and splashed him with a lot of it. He shook his head vigorously and the long tendrils that came out of his ugly mug flew in all directions. “Yeah not so nice, is it?”

I climbed out. My clothes clung on my body. “You have no idea what I had to go through today.” I sounded so defeated, and wring out my hair. “Sorry, I forgot.” The corners of my lips curled slightly, barely labeled as a smile. More traitorous tears glistened in my eyes. “Why would you want to know about anything that I’m going through?”

I just stared at him and for the first time, he was actually listening.

I broke the stare and my eyes fell to the ground as more tears started to well up. I couldn’t believe I was going to do this. But no more.

I smiled for real this time. It was soft and I took a huge breath. He won’t see my tears. “I tried everything, Blake. Everything, but nothing I do seems to be the right thing, so you win.” I looked at him one last time. I smiled again. “You’re free. I’m releasing you from all the things you rebelled against. Sorry that it took so long. From this moment on…I have no dragon.”

I swallowed hard as he just stared at me with his beady eyes, saying nothing, he didn’t even smile.

I walked to the wall. My room was two stories up, and I called on the vines that covered the manor. The only time I was magical was when he was in his dragon form. It was the only time I had access to my abilities.

The vines became alive, running up the wall, and the top bent over and came toward me. I grabbed the end and it twirled around my arms and pulled me to the entrance of my room. I stepped on the balcony and rushed to my door. Water dripped from my body and the cold breeze was making me shiver. I unlocked my door with my gift of telekinesis and shut it as loud as I could.

I let out a scream filled with frustration.

He’d said nothing. Not a thank you, nothing. Even now that I’d let him go, he was still such an ungrateful son of a bitch.

I was finally free from him. I guessed his hatred for me finally sunk in tonight. I pulled off my shirt and walked to the closet and grabbed the nearest T-shirt. After I unhooked my bra, I pulled it over my body. It fell over my bum and I pulled down my wet skirt and took off my soaking boots. I exchanged my wet panties for a dry pair and when I was all dried up, a tear rolled over my cheek.

Why does this hurt so much? I always knew that he didn’t want me to be his rider, even though he still needed me to become good again, he’d rather be evil and take the horrible beatings. While I still felt them, well not as much as the first time, but I knew every time he would go through it.

Maybe now that I’d let him go, they would stop hurting me too. Just maybe the connection was finally broken.

I didn’t want to cry, not over this. Freeing him was the only thing I could do. I sighed and struggled to hold back my tears, but I somehow managed and took a huge breath to calm my anger.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my wrist and it forced my entire body to spin around. I only got a glimpse of Blake wearing boxer shorts and a bare chest before I felt his lips hard against mine.

What the hell was he doing?

My mind roared as he pushed me tighter against him. His lips tasted salty and warm; I didn’t want this. I didn’t want him, but he kept holding me tightly against his body, forcing his tongue into my mouth.

I tried again to push him away, turn my head away, but at that moment his hand behind my head forced me more deeply into his kiss.

Then I bit him. If he wasn’t going to stop, I would bite his lips until he stopped. He didn’t even flinch, probably got turned on more.

I didn’t give up though and hit his chest with my fists but I only got in three punches and then … I succumbed.

I returned his kiss and our tongues played together, like they were meant to for the past three hundred years.

The kiss was hard, fast, crazy, wild and it was everything I ever wanted.

My hands tangled up in his hair. He smelled amazing, like roasted wild flowers with a hint of musk and burnt oak.

His hand slid down my hips, still hard and vigorous and my feet lifted off the ground as he picked me up, and twirled my legs around his waist. My back hit the wall hard, but I didn’t want to stop, I wanted this and I didn’t want this, it was a weird feeling that I couldn’t explain, but I couldn’t stop kissing him and I wanted more.