Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (14 page)

"That doesn't make you evil Dragon that makes
you human." He started to speak and I placed my finger over his
lips to quiet him. "Mistakes and accidents are not as important as
your intentions. Obviously if you continued to have accidents and
never learned from your mistakes you would eventually reach a point
where you should no longer be forgiven. But I can't imagine that
being the case with you. When was the last time you had an
accident?"

"Three hundred and forty-seven years
ago."

"I think you've just proven my point. Do your
blood donors get anything in return when they give you blood?"

Dragon's eyes widened and I had a flash of
him drinking from me while he thrust between my legs, both of us
mindless with orgasmic pleasure. It was just like the other visions
I'd had but more... I couldn't believe the feelings his bite caused
and it was only a fantasy. Would it really feel this good? Better?
Oh... my... God... My body convulsed with the orgasm that claimed
me.

I barely heard Rook clear his throat and say,
"I don't think I want to be present for this particular
conversation if you two don't mind waiting for a while."

Dragon tore his gaze away from mine and my
body went limp as the last tremors of orgasm ran through me and
faded away. I leaned into Dragon, hiding my face from Rook. I was
too embarrassed by what he'd just witnessed to look at him.
Dragon's heart was racing, his breath shuddering out of him as he
too came down from the sudden rush of desire.

"Don't worry Serafina; I won't hold it
against you. The mating frenzy makes people act crazy, and
apparently being a nightshifter makes the phenomenon even more
interesting." Rook told me cheerfully.

That was when something occurred to me and I
sat back to watch how Dragon reacted when I voiced my thoughts.
"All the visions I've been having... I thought they were just my
overactive imagination or my libido going into overdrive, but it
was you, wasn't it?" I accused. "Every time I've seen these vivid
fantasies... in Mystique and in front of Lilith's, on the terrace,
just now?"

Dragon tucked my hair behind my ear and said,
"Yes. It's not something I mean to do, but just being near you
makes me lose so much control. Vampires can project images into the
minds of almost any other being, just like mind demons could. Until
I laid eyes on you, I had never accidentally projected images into
anyone's mind. That night in Mystique was the first time I caught
myself slipping into your mind without meaning to. Then I did it
again in front of Lilith's. I didn't even realize I'd slipped on
the terrace until you just mentioned it." He was looking at me like
he dreaded how I might react to his admission.

I ran my hand along his jaw and smiled up at
him. "I believe you didn't mean to do it, and I'm not upset.
Honestly, I like the visions, and I'd liked the feeling that we
were sharing them even though I couldn't explain how that was
possible. On the terrace it was only a moment, just a quick flash,
maybe that's why you didn't notice it."

He leaned forward and kissed me tenderly,
just a brief caress of his lips, but I felt the promise for more in
the way his fingers trailed down my spine making me shiver. Before
we could say anything else the shutters rolled up and all of us
decided to go outside and get some fresh air. The evening was warm
and humid and I was sure we'd see some rain in the near future. I
leaned back against the railing with Dragon on one side of me and
Rook on the other.

After Dragon and I had both had time to cool
off from the unexpected vision I turned to Rook and asked, "What
else do you need to tell me as far as security goes?"

"In order to keep you safe I'll need you to
follow a few simple rules. The number one rule is never leave the
resort without taking me or Dragon as an escort. The moat around
the resort glows the way it does because Solomon has placed a
protective spell on it. It acts as a ward and keeps out almost
anything that might try to harm you. Next, I need you to avoid the
portal in Lilith's just to the right of the stage."

"I mentioned it to her this morning but only
where it leads, not what it's for." Dragon supplied.

Rook nodded then continued, "You wouldn't
have seen it before because the magic hides it from humans. Now
that you're bonded to Dragon the magic will see you as a
supernatural, basically as an extension of him. The portal in
Lilith's allows us easy access to New Orleans. We have a club there
so that our people can keep a close eye on Travali. If needed, they
could escape through the portal into the safety of this resort. We
also use it when Travali sends his emissaries. The portal will not
let them through if they come with the intent to do harm. It works
far better than using a metal detector to look for guns, or an
x-ray machine to look for bombs."

"It sounds like the portal is pretty useful
so why do I need to avoid it?"

Dragon answered. "There are many portals, or
gateways to other worlds in this resort. All the portals except the
one in Lilith's are protected by the security panels which are part
technology but mostly magic. Now that we're mated, the magic will
not differentiate between me and you, so please, do not open any
doors unless you're sure you know where they lead. The portal in
Lilith's is different because we want our people to be able to come
through it in a hurry. That's why it doesn't have a doorway or
security panel. If you were to go through it even accidentally you
would find yourself in New Orleans, Travali's home turf. Also, the
portal would prevent anyone from dragging you through it because
they would obviously mean you harm. But if they were to push or
throw you through the portal on your own it wouldn't stop you since
you'd have no intentions to hurt yourself. I would prefer you
didn't go into Lilith's without me at least until we know how
Travali is going to react to your discovery."

"How am I supposed to avoid Lilith's when
that's where I'm currently assigned to dance? Are you going to sit
there and watch me dance every time I have a shift?" I asked him.
"From what I understand about shapeshifter behavior I don't think
it would be a good idea for you to see me dancing with other men
all night right now."

His eye flashed red and I actually felt a
blast of anger explode from him.

"See?" I held both my hands up like I was
holding his reaction out in front of me as proof. "Just the thought
of me dancing with anyone else is too much for you. And before we
move on to anything else, how exactly did I just feel your anger?
And why did it make me feel angry myself?"

Dragon rubbed his hands over his face then
fell into a chair behind him. Rook stayed where he was leaning back
with his elbows on the railing and smirked at Dragon. What was I
missing here?

"It's the mating bond. Through the bond we
will be able to feel each other's emotions." Dragon revealed. "The
stronger the bond, the more emotions we'll feel. Since you have no
experience with mental communication it may take you a while to
learn how to discern whose emotions you're feeling - mine or
yours."

Nice. I wondered how long he would have kept
that little tidbit of information from me. Considering all his
experience with mental communication he'd have no trouble reading
my emotions. "Is there any other surprises I should know about?" I
asked and didn't bother hiding the annoyance that I felt.

Rook stayed quietly in the background this
time while Dragon shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "There are a
couple of things you should probably know about ahead of time, but
now is probably not the best time to discuss them. Perhaps we
should wait until you've had time to absorb everything we've
already gone over."

I waited expectantly until he made a defeated
noise and said, "The good news is you won't need your birth control
any longer."

I don't know what I expected him to say, but
that wasn't it. "And why is that?" I asked him cautiously.

"Now that we're mated, you will only be
fertile when and if the mark on your body ever starts glowing."

I felt like I needed to sit down. Dragon
reached out and guided me into the chair next to him.

"Shapeshifters can only conceive with their
true mates and only when the mating bond is complete. Fertility
amongst my kind does not follow any kind of schedule as it does for
humans. The magic knows when a couple is ready to care for a child.
It ensures children are only born to parents who are ready and
willing to nurture them as they grow. When the time is right, the
mark will have a faint glow to it signaling that the woman is
fertile. If for some reason the couple does not want to have
children, they can abstain from intercourse until the glow fades.
But I'll warn you, the sexual pull between a fertile female and her
mate is hundreds of times stronger than what we've felt so far.
It's nature’s way of ensuring survival of the species. And nothing
- not even modern medicine - can prevent conception from taking
place once intercourse occurs between fertile mates."

I felt a little lightheaded like I might pass
out again. I had so many what if questions flying through my mind.
What if I decided not to stay with Dragon, would I still be able to
have children with another man? Or had the mating bond done
something to prevent that from happening? What if I did stay with
Dragon and the mark never glowed? Would that somehow mean that I'm
unfit to be a mother?

Rook's gentle voice broke through the chaos
in my head. "Serafina, this is not something to worry about. The
mating bond is a gift. It finds two beings that are perfect for
each other and brings them together. When they are ready, it
enables them to share their love with a child. How many human
babies are born to couples who are incapable of caring for them
either financially or emotionally? The mating bond prevents that
from happening. Not all shapeshifters are expecting the glow when
it comes, and they don't all welcome it at first, but in the end,
most of them see it as a blessing they hadn't thought to ask
for."

Dragon drew my attention by tucking my hair
behind my ear. "Since I was cursed the magic of the mating bond has
been dormant for all nightshifters, even those who were mated
before the spell was cast. That means, there hasn't been one single
child born to anyone in any of our clans for over four hundred
years. The nightshifters will see our mating as a symbol of hope, a
sign that perhaps one day soon we will once again know the joy that
only children can bring into our lives."

I felt tears roll down my cheeks and wasn't
sure if it was my own sadness or Dragon's I was feeling. I didn't
want to hear any more but, I'd felt something from Dragon, there
was something even more important he hadn't said yet. "What else do
you need to tell me?"

"There's one more thing I need to say. I am
nearly immortal. Until the mating bond marked us, you were not. Now
that we are marked, you will live as long as I do, frozen at the
age you are now." I stared at him with wide eyes and I felt a wave
of panic engulf me.

Dragon went to his knees in front of me
taking my hands in his. "When the mark didn't appear right away I
was afraid I'd found my mate but wouldn't be able to mark her.
Without the mark, you would have aged like a normal human. I
couldn't bear the thought of losing you after one short lifetime.
But with the mark, you could live by my side for hundreds of
lifetimes - and still, it wouldn't be long enough."

The tears were falling freely now. I was so
confused. The feelings I felt from Dragon... How could he already
love me so deeply? And why did I think I loved him? Was that really
how I felt? Or were these his feelings and not mine? Hundreds of
lifetimes... Would I eventually forget my mother? What she looked
like? How it felt when she hugged me? What it was like being able
to call her when I needed someone to cry to? Or someone to tell my
good news when I was excited? How would I feel watching everyone
I've ever known die while I remained young and full of life? Would
I be left alone?

Dragon placed his hands on the sides of my
head and wiped my tears away with his thumbs. Then he kissed me. I
hesitated at first but then I kissed him back with all the
desperation of a drowning woman. When the kiss broke, he held me
tight letting me know I would never be alone, reminding me that I
would always have him if I chose to accept him; that I would have a
new life that included people who would live just as long as I
would. It felt so good to have his arms around me and just for a
moment the cyclone of emotions swirling inside of me slowed down
enough for me to think.

"Dragon, I'm sorry but I think I need some
time away from you." My heart broke when I felt his sorrow coming
through the bond. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my cheek
against his chest. Tears ran down my face and I thought about how
crazy that was since I was the one sending him away. "It's not
forever. I just need some time and space, to clear my head and sort
through everything you've told me."

He smoothed my hair with his hand and kissed
the top of my head. "I understand. If you need me I'll be here
before you know it." He stood and turned to Rook.

"I'll stay with her until I'm sure she'll be
okay," Rook assured him.

Dragon left without saying anything else. I
sat there and cried for several minutes before I was finally able
to pull myself together. Rook disappeared through the sliding doors
and came back with a cold glass of water and a damp washcloth. I
felt more like myself after I drank the water and cleaned up my
face. Dragon's absence also seemed to help but I was already
starting to miss him.

Rook had been sitting patiently beside me.
Now he seemed to be struggling with strong emotions as he said, "I
know that what happens between you and Dragon is no one's business
but your own. I just want you to know, he's the most selfless being
I have ever known. Since he was crowned Dragon King he has worked
every day of his life to make this world a better place for
supernaturals who have nowhere else to go. When you look at this
resort you see an adult playground for humans. When I look at it, I
see a sanctuary for supernatural misfits. He's created a safe haven
where supernaturals can live without fear of constant attack. The
nightshifters, demons, shapeshifters, and even vampires who follow
him do so because he's earned their respect and loyalty.