Page 30 of Under the Dragon's Spell
"You don't sound very happy." Luca's voice turned motherly, concerned. I wondered whether this was the same way she spoke to her child when Mara was upset.
"I'm… He's out on a date with another guy right now. It's tough to be happy when I don't know… I don't know what they're doing. What he's doing." Realizing that I was beginning to ramble, I stopped myself.
"I'm sorry, honey. That must be difficult. I can't even imagine. If my husband had done that to me, I'd have hit him over the head with a frying pan." I heard someone laugh in the background. Maybe her husband was listening in. "Wait, I'm going to move into another room," Luca said. Then, "Okay, we're safe here. Tell me more about what happened. You're starting to sound like you really like this guy."
"Tyrel," I said. "He's called Tyrel, and he's kind of an ass, really, but… I feel like that's not all he is."
"Details," Luca demanded. "Paint me a picture."
I found myself pacing the room as I spoke. "You've seen the photograph, haven't you? He's even hotter than that in person. I mean, he's really fucking hot. He has these eyes, when he looks at you, it takes your breath away. And I'm not just saying that, I mean it. Sometimes they glow. They actually glow." And every time they did, my heart skipped a beat. "I used to think I was really into Rory, but being with Rory wasn't anything like being with Tyrel. Hell, I can't even explain it, but sleeping with Rory wasn't even as good as just being kissed by Tyrel." I raised my hand to my lips, which tingled when I thought back to that moment.
"Wow. You've really got it bad, don't you?" Her voice turned even more sympathetic, if that was possible.
I closed my eyes and inhaled. "Kind of, yeah. It's stupid. I hardly know him."
She laughed softly. "Sometimes these things just happen. The heart wants what the heart wants."
"But why does mine want him?"
"Well, there must be something about him that attracts you, even if it's only subconsciously and you can't put your finger on it yet." She paused. "So… You kissed?"
That question nearly had me laughing, too. The way she asked it. My overly curious best friend was back.
"We did," I said. "Just once and not for long, but… yeah. He kissed me." And he'd promised me more than that, but I didn't tell her. There was such a thing as too much information.
"That's great! He must like you, too!"
"And yet he's out there with another man."
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry."
"He says he has to do it, that his mother is making him, but I don't really understand it all." I sat on the bed. "I just want it all to be over with. Tomorrow, she's going to have a doctor examine us."
"A doctor?"
"To check if we're fertile, since, you know, the whole point of this project is for one us to produce a baby."
"Ah, yeah, I see."
"I'm a little scared what they'll find."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. You've gone to a doctor before, haven't you? When it wasn't working with Rory."
"Yeah, but…" I shook my head. "Maybe they missed something. I don't know."
She assured me again that everything would be fine. Not only the doctor thing, but the Tyrel thing, too. I had a hard time believing her. So much so that I couldn't go to sleep when the call eventually ended, even though it had gotten quite late.
Instead of changing into my jammies, I went out into the garden. The moon stood high and full in the sky tonight. I'dalways liked looking at it. Even though I didn't believe the moon had any mystical powers, there was something soothing about a full moon night. I sat on a bench overlooking a flower field, even though it was too dark to really appreciate nature now. The fresh air was nice, and I felt like if I could just have a little time to myself out here, maybe I could clear my mind.
Of course, I had no such luck.
Shortly after I sat down, I heard a noise from the direction of the house.
When I turned around, I spotted Tyrel. My heart stopped for a moment. He was the last person I'd expected to see tonight. Wasn't he supposed to be out on a date?
For how long had I been sitting here? I hadn't noticed the time pass at all.
On closer inspection, Tyrel was holding something in his hand, but I couldn't quite make out the shape of it in the moonlight. As he approached me, I realized that it was a bottle, though I couldn't tell what kind.
