Page 13 of Drakhana's Treasure
“Absolutely. Let the secretary know what files you need and go for it.”
She hurries from the room and I go through a list of promotions the boys can do today. If I can increase the profits swiftly by bringing in new customers, I’ll attract more partners. This will solidify our position and make it harder for the ice dragons to kick us out of our established positions.
As they leave, my thoughts return to Kirralee almost immediately. I wish she had the aptitude to be here, at my side. It’s a vain hope, I know. She would be a complete disaster in the board room. I just have to admit to myself that I would do almost anything to see her.
I can’t deny the feelings that are running through me. I’ve been trying to, desperate to push away this attraction that has been beating at me since the very first moment I saw her.
I want her. I can’t stop thinking about her and what she would look like writhing in my arms. At the very suggestion of it my dragon thrashes inside me, begging to be free.
Takeher.
I struggle to get my dragon under control, feeling like I’m being burned alive by its rage. My dragon has been denied for too many years now and at this, it will not be silent.
Kirralee is mine!
No. She is a student, a recruit. I’m supposed to be taking care of her and teaching her how to survive out here, not seducing her.
My dragon tries to break free again and smoke starts pouring out of my nostrils. I shake my head, trying to get myself under control before I set off the smoke detectors. This isn’t just lust, something I could quench with any beautiful woman that crossed my path. This is deeper.
She is mine. She belongs to me. My dragon won’t let me deny this truth. Deeper than passion, stronger than attraction.
What I feel for Kirralee is a connection so strong it transcends even love.
I get my dragon under control with extreme effort, clutching my chest and squeezing my eyes shut to force it back into my core. Kirralee does not belong to me, she belongs to herself. I’m the teacher, the mentor. I can’t take advantage of that in any way.
When I close my eyes and see her quiet, soft golden eyes in my memory the dominant feeling is that she is taking advantage of me. Somehow, without my knowledge or permission, she has claimed me.
I don’t think I can fight this.
Do I even want to?
Nine
Kirralee
When I wake in the morning, I’m surprised to find I’m still in the casino. I went up to my room in absolute misery, frustration and pain warring in my heart. I fell asleep so suddenly and dreamed so deeply of being home I felt that I would open my eyes to my beloved red rocks.
I couldn’t have let the child cry. What was I supposed to do, just sit there and not pick her up? Nobody noticed. I think Rastus might be overly careful. Humans dismiss much of what they don’t understand.
I slip out of the massive bed with its layers of soft gray sheets. The city greets me from outside the glass, a faint haze shimmering over it as the red of the sun joins the neon lights.
I still feel out of place in the massive suite, but at least I don’t feel like a bug on a plate anymore. Back in the caves we had interconnecting tunnels between the different nests. There was always someone shuffling around. Fire dragons crave each others company and love to touch.
This place looks like it’s designed to kill the dragon in me. Does Rastus set it up that way? Is that the goal of his training? If it is, I want no part in it.
I am still determined to find something in the human world I can succeed in. If I am to go home then I want to have at least one human skill to take with me. I know I’m strong enough to do this, I just have to find the right task.
I get ready in the huge bathroom, clouds of steam coming between me and my reflection in the mirror. Even the shower feels big enough to make me lonely.
My thoughts keep wandering off, looking for bird song at the edge of my hearing and the rustling of trees further down the mountain. It’s a reflex for me and nothing is there but the cold, sterile silence of the hotel.
Back in my room I pick out pants and a top, finally beginning to understand what are acceptable clothes and what are not. They found me a new phone and I’ve gone over most of the links they sent me to make sure I get it right.
Humanity has a ridiculous number of rules! Dress a certain way, talk a certain way and act a certain way. Some things are accepted conversation topics, others are not. You have to defer and be polite, but if you do that too much, you will get taken advantage of.
It’s so confusing I don’t know how they keep their mental health intact. How are they not wandering around in a state of perpetual frustration? There is so much gray area related to body language and basic behavior, yet certain displays of emotion—especially anger but sometimes excitement as well—can get you ‘arrested’ whatever that means.
I smooth my hands over my clothes and tie back my hair. My stomach churns as I head for the door and my hand trembles. I’m practically shaking in the elevator but I take several deep breaths and stand up straighter.
