The Dragon's Gem (10 page)

Draco did not
confront me again about my date with Soran that day. I felt him nearby the entire afternoon, but he kept his distance and when I got into the car at the end of the day, he was suspiciously absent. Part of me wanted to ask Henry where he was, but another part of me, the one that was hurt and confused, stopped me from asking.

*****

It wasn’t until I was in my room later that night, replaying the entire conversation in my mind, that I realized Draco had called me
his
. A million questions about that one simple statement formed in my head. I spent a sleepless night examining them all, but still had no answers by the time my alarm clock woke me, and the housekeeper came to help me dress.

At breakfast
the next morning I decided it was time to call on the one person who had always helped me when I was in trouble. “Dad, what do you know about the Pendragons?”

“Well, I know they are a very old family line, some kind of royalty in past history
, I believe. Why do you ask?”

“I was
just curious.” I placed my teacup on the table, contemplating the little bit of history he gave me.
A very old family
and
royalty
didn’t give me much to go on, but when I put it all together with other bits and pieces, an idea began to form in my brain. “Do you think you could drive me to the library?” I asked, almost giddy with excitement.

“If we go now. I need to be at the office for a few hours, though, will you be alright there until I get done?”

Concern laced his voice and I smiled
, warmed by how much he loved me. “I’ll be fine. It’s a library; I am sure nothing much ever happens there.”

*****

Two hours later, I sat in the library realizing researching information on a family as old as Draco’s was going to be very difficult for a blind person. Most of the information was not available in audio versions, and there were no Braille books to be found in the library of such a small town. I was about to give up when a soft voice spoke to me.

“Are you looking for info
rmation about the Pendragons?” the timid female voice asked.

“Ye
s, but I’m not getting very far. I am blind and this library does not offer much in the way of Braille or audio books,” I explained.

“No it doesn’t
, but if you would like I can help you. There is not much here about our founding families, but there are always the archives at the town hall where they keep a record of all of them.” I felt her move into the seat next to me and she touched my hand, sending a chill up my arm. “I can help you, if you’ll let me.”

“I’d be glad for the help, but are you sure I would not be bothering you?” I asked
, immediately liking the female beside me despite her icy-cold body temperature.

“
No bother at all.” She removed her hand quickly as if she knew it was chilling me. “My name is India; I have seen you around school, but I was afraid to talk to you,” she confided as she helped from my chair.

“Aurora,” I said as she pl
aced my bag over my shoulder and took my hand to guide me.

“
Oh, I know all about you, Aurora. All about you,” she murmured as she escorted me out of the building into the cool October air. “We should start at the Town Hall: my father is in charge of records, so I know my way around and no one will bother us.”

“Great,” I said
, feeling slightly anxious. I really didn’t know what I was going to find, but I had the feeling it was going to change the way I saw everything.

After a few hellos to
people she knew once we entered the building India dragged me through a long, twisted maze that ended within a cold chamber where our whispers echoed off the walls around us.

“Where are we?” I asked
, wrapping my arms around my midsection trying to warm myself.

“Oh s
orry, I forget that others feel the cold differently than I do.” She pushed me into an overstuffed chair and turned on what I assumed was a space heater by the instant warm air that hit me. “There, that should be better, now let me see.” She walked off, talking to herself, and I heard the sound of things being moved back and forth until she let out a gleeful cry and came back to my side. “Here we go.” She placed a large book in my hands and flipped the pages until she found the one she wanted, then she sat down next to me. “Pendragon, the most notable of all names royal, noble, and champions against evil.”

“Doesn’t sound much like Draco,” I muttered.

“Nonsense, Draco is young, he is still finding his way,” she replied in his defense.

“It is true
. If you would have known his father many years ago you would see what the difference age makes,” a soft yet commanding male voice said.

“Daddy,” India said. “Come and meet Aurora.”

“It is a pleasure,” he said, taking my hand and placing a kiss on the back as Max had done before letting it drop to my side. “Darling, what brings you here?” he said to his daughter.

“I was helping Aurora do some research.” She closed the book and took it from my lap. “She’s writing a paper on the founding fathers of our town.”

She was lying, but I didn’t know why, so I said nothing.

“Well then
, she should go and see Max, he can give her all the information she needs.” He was pleasant enough, but I could feel he didn’t want us there. As if he had something he didn’t want me to see. “Why don’t you two young ladies run along now, I need to close up, it’s almost three o’clock.”

“Oh no!” I squealed in surprise.

“Something wrong?” India asked in her soft singsong voice.

“I have a date with Soran tonight and he’s picking me up at five-thirty.” I stood and she took my hand.

“It’s alright, your father is just a few minutes away, I am sure we can call him and you will make it on time,” India said.

“Actually
, I have a better idea,” her father said. “Follow me.”

We fol
lowed him back through the mazelike interior as he spoke on the phone in low hushed tones to my father, assuring him I would have a ride home. “Ah, here we go,” he said as we came to a stop. “Isn’t it fortunate that young Pendragon here had stopped by to pick up some things for his father just when we needed him most?”

“Isn’t it,” I said contemplating how he had known I was there, since I didn’t for one minute believe it was
a coincidence.

“How can I be of assistance,” Draco asked
, his light tone sounding forced.

“The yo
ung miss here needs a ride home. I assume you are headed that way?”

I felt India’s hand tighten on mine an
d knew she, too, didn’t think it was any kind of coincidence either.

“Of course.” I felt him take my hand, saw the blurry scenery that came with his touch and the anger that bubbled below his pleasant surface. “Are you ready, Aurora?”

I wanted to scream no, to call him out
, but I didn’t want to make a scene, so I just nodded stiffly before turning to India. “Thank you for your help today.”

“No prob
lem,” she answered nervously.

“Well
, we should get going. The weather looks awful outside. It will be a miracle if we make it home before the rain comes,” Draco said, placing my hand through his arm and escorting me out of the building.

As we walked outside, I felt the ch
ange in temperature and the gusty winds, and realized he had not been lying. A storm was coming, but I had the feeling it was not the one Mother Nature had conjured that was going to be the problem.

It wasn’t until we were well on our way that he spoke
to me again. “So what were you and India up to?” he asked casually.

“We we
re not up to anything! I was just doing some research about the town,” I answered calmly.

“Why?” I heard his fingers tapping the steering wheel and knew he was not as calm about
this as he was pretending.

“
Because I live here now, don’t you think that gives me the right to know more about the place?” The car sped up and I knew he was letting off steam. I couldn’t stand the tension in such a confined area and I knew if I didn’t get my feelings off my chest I might explode. “Draco, I don’t get you. First, you hate me, then you kiss me, and now you’re treating me like a criminal. What is your problem?”

“I don’t hate you!
I never hated you and I kissed you because I wanted to, but there are things that you don’t know. Things that are better left alone for now.”

His tortured voice f
illed me with sadness and for the first time I knew he was hurting too. It gave me some measure of comfort to know that at least I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. “What do you want from me?” I asked pathetically, tired of the games and lies we had gotten so good at.

“If I told you
, it would scare you away, and I can’t have that. I need you here with us where I can keep you safe.” The car came to a stop and he reached across the seat and took my hand. “Can’t you just trust me that I’m protecting you and let this all go?”

His fingers rubbed mine and my heart began to beat mercilessly against my chest. It would have been so easy to say yes, to let him protect me and keep me safe without ever knowing why
, but I just couldn’t let myself be that person. I was not some meek and mild girl who wanted a man to protect her and keep her living a fantasy world of rainbows and sunshine. I pulled my hand away. “I’m sorry, Draco, it isn’t enough. I want the truth, I want to know everything, and if you can’t do that, then we have no future together.” I heard his door open, then close. He came to my side and helped me out of the car and up the steps to the house, but before he let me go, I tried one more time. “Draco, you asked me to trust you, but I’m asking you to trust me, to trust that I will not run away. I really care about you, but I can’t be with someone who keeps secrets from me. It just isn’t fair.”

He was silent for a few minutes then he spoke
, his voice broken as if he was almost too emotional to speak. “I know you’re right, but I need time.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him.

“Promise,” he asked, pulling me into arms.

“Promise,” I
said just before his lips swept over mine. I could have stayed there in his arms all day long, but the housekeeper opened the door and cleared her throat, interrupting our embrace.

“Sorry
, miss, but your date for tonight called and said he will be here shortly, I just thought you might want to know.”

Soran
! How could I have forgotten about him and our date?

“Go and get ready
, I’ll see you later,” Draco, said letting me go.

“Draco I …” He placed his finger to my lips.

“Go.”

“Come along then
, miss,” the housekeeper said, taking my arm, escorting me into the house and helping me prepare for my date in whirlwind of activity that had me ready and waiting by the time Soran appeared a short time later.

“You look beautiful,” he said as he helped me into his car.

“Thank you,” I answered, pulling my seatbelt into place.

His door closed and reached across the seat to take my hand. “I a
m really looking forward to spending time alone with you tonight.”

I forced myself to smile
, reminding myself that I really liked Soran and didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but in the back of my mind all I could think about was Draco and how very much I wanted it to be him taking me out.

We talked about general topics as he drove and once at the restaurant he escorted me inside and made sure I was seated and comfortable before taking his own place and ordering for us both. Soft
music played in the background; it should have been romantic but it made me feel uncomfortable instead.

Soran took my hand in his. “So
, what have you been up to today?”

I swallowed nervously
, wondering if he too knew I had been to the Town Hall that afternoon but decided it wouldn’t matter to him. He wasn’t the one hiding things from me. “I was at the library most of the day. I met a nice girl named India there.” His thumb stopped moving over the back of my hand and he grew quiet. “Do you know her?”

“I know who she is, but she’s kin
d of quiet and keeps to herself,” he said, letting go of my hand as the waiter came with our drinks.

“I like her
. She’s really smart and she was a big help today. She even took me to the Town Hall and helped me with some research.” I said reaching carefully for my glass.

“I see,”
he murmured, clearly distracted. “What exactly were you looking for there?”

I shrugged my shoulders
, pretending ignorance. “I’m kind of a history junkie. I thought it might be fun to research the town and the people who have lived here.”

“Did you find anything interesting?”

It was an innocent question, yet I couldn’t help but feel an undercurrent of worry. “Not really. India had just found a book for me when her father came to tell us he was closing the hall for the day.”