Page 24 of The Dragon's Perfect Omega
“Hey, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to all of us.” When I looked up again, Lowen was grinning. “Also,” he added, “it was damn sexy to watch you come undone like that.”
I ran a hand back through my hair, feeling weird when Lowen eyed me like that, like hemeantwhat he said. “I’m glad you… uh… feel that way.”God, Zim, could you be any more awkward? That super-hot dragon thinksyou’rehot. Take a little pride in yourself.I stood taller.
Lowen gave a little laugh, as if he could tell what was going on inside my head. Then again, maybe he could. I hadn’t quite figured out yet how his abilities worked. Another reason I shouldn’t want to see him again.
But I did.
Some part of me knew that we belonged together with the same certainty that I knew the sun was going to rise in the morning. It just didn’t make any rational sense to me.
“Do you believe in fate?” Lowen asked, taking another step back to give me some room to breathe.
“Fate?” What an odd question. I looked at the door behind me, then back at Lowen. Was he trying to get me to stay by starting philosophical conversations?
How could he know that I was really into that kind of stuff?
Must. Resist. Getting into philosophical argument.
One of my hands sought the wood behind me and came to rest on the cold metal of the doorknob. I could leave any time. So what harm was there in answering the dragon’s question? “I think fate is a complicated concept and one that can be dangerous to believe in.”
“Dangerous?” Lowen regarded me with genuine interest.
He wanted to hear this. Okay.
“If we take the concept of fate to mean that our whole lives are pre-ordained, there’s no room for self-autonomy, or self-responsibility for that matter. We’re all just pawns, playing out our roles in the game of life. Can I blame a mugger if fate wanted me to get mugged? Can I even influence the way my life turns out in any way?”
Lowen rubbed the dark stubble on his chin, his features drawing together in a frown. “I hadn’t considered it from that angle,” he admitted. “But what if we apply the concept a little more loosely?”
"How do you mean?" I asked, my fingers loosening around the door handle. This was interesting. Really, I should have left, but I rarely found people who actually wanted to have these sort of discussions with me. Every one of my friends had learned to stay away from topics like this when I was around. I could go on for hours—and sometimes I did. "Fair warning," I said. "I have a lot of thoughts on this."
"That's okay," Lowen said with a smile that didn't even look forced. "I want to know what you think. So, imagine if onlysomeevents in life were pre-ordained, and only to a certain extent. The choices you make would still make an impact on the way events play out. I like to think that only a few things in life are truly left up to fate, if fate exists. Like set stops on a journey. You're going to hit them, but the way you reach them is up to you, as well as the way you let them influence the rest of your path."
I nodded. Evidently, Lowen had a lot of thoughts on this as well. Why, though? "Is the belief in fate part of your religion?"
"I'm not overly religious, but to a point, fate is part of our belief system, yes. We believe that if the Gods want something to happen to us or for us, it will. We used to believe in every dragon having a fated mate too. I thought that was a load of crap until two of my friends found their true mates."
My eyes narrowed in thought. "Are you talking about Zed and Finn?" I thought I'd read something about how they claimed fate had led them to their partners. But surely that was just a figure of speech rather than anything more substantial?
"I am," the dragon confirmed. "Both of them have found their soulmates."
"Soulmates?" I echoed. That was not something I believed in. I wasn't even convinced that souls existed in the first place.
"I see you don't hold much love for that concept," Lowen muttered with something almost like disappointment in his voice. Did he want me to believe? Why? He couldn't be thinking that he and I...
Was this conversation more than a thought experiment to him?
"What's it matter what I think about it?" I asked with a shrug of my shoulder. "I'm not even a dragon."
"That doesn't mean your opinion doesn't matter," Lowen said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The next moment, he deflated a bit. "Actually, it matters a lot. More than you might expect."
Well, that was cryptic, but I had a feeling I knew where he was going with this, and I didn't want to hear it. "I really think I should leave now."
The dragon's jaw set. For a moment, I wondered whether he was going to try and stop me, but instead he only gave me a curt nod. "Don't forget about your present."
"Yeah, sure, I'll um... open it at home."Now go!I mentally shouted at myself, because part of me was still hesitant to leave.
Only when I was out the door did it occur to me that I had to get all the way home with a wet patch in the front of my pants.
Well done, Zim.
