Alexa's Dragon (Dragon mates Book 1) (18 page)

“So who’s coming on the picnic with us?”

“I thought it would be just the two of us.”

“Uhuh, put more sandwiches in there. I’m betting we will have company.” She gave him a radiant smile as he made more food for the basket. After searching the kitchen, she found a cooler and filled it with ice and drinks. Bending down, she tried to lift it and then decided her dragon would have to do that.

Her dragon, her heart skipped a beat. He was hers in every way except the one that would announce it to the world. He had spent the week loving her in every possible way only for him to whisper in her ear last night that he hadn’t even touched the surface of the things they would do.

Forget skipping a beat, her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought it might come out. She wanted him. Wanted to be his bonded mate. Wanted that power he held within him for herself. Her eyes were glassy, clouding up as she looked at him longing. Shaking her head, she kept her lecherous thoughts to herself.

He took the picnic basket and placed it on top of the cooler.

“Are you ready?”

“Where are we going?”

“To a favorite hideaway spot of mine that you will enjoy and should keep our presence hidden from our friends.”

“Life is good when your only worries are about hiding away from your friends so you can get some alone time.”

He chucked and led the way to the jeep waiting out front.

Alexa turned her head looking in all directions and didn’t see anyone.

“I think we just might make it.”

“We better make it after I warned them all not to disturb me today.”

“The ruler has spoken.” She climbed into the jeep waiting for him to slide in beside her. When he did, she placed her hand on his warm thigh, settled down in the seat, and watched as the scenery flew by.

He took them further into the mountains past his oldest brother’s mountain until he finally came to a stop. In front of her was a field of flowers as far as the eyes could see. On one edge was a lake that snaked through the meadow. Calm and gentle enough to swim in, the water was crystal blue and she could see the sandy bottom of it.

“It’s beautiful up here.”

“Thank you, it’s one of my favorite places to come to.”

He spread a soft blanket on the ground and helped her to sit down. He took out two bottles of juice handing her one before opening up the basket.

“Since we skipped breakfast we should probably eat something.”

She nodded and took the thick turkey sandwich he handed her before piling some chips on a plate with macaroni salad on the side.

“This is the way I like to picnic. No chips, no picnic.”

He gave her a smile as he made his plate. They ate quietly for a while just enjoying the view.

“What’s on your mind, Syn?” Her hand reached out to play with his fingers.

“I’m still thinking about what the Oracle said. I think it all comes down to love.”

“Her name’s Samantha and somewhere along the line I’ve realized that if I can tell them apart so can you.”

He winked at her. “Whatever you do, don’t tell them, it will take all the fun out of it.”

“You’re so bad.”

“You love it.”

“Yeah I do.”

His throat caught, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He stood up and walked to the river. Squatting down, he picked up a smooth stone and skipped it across the water. Alexa stood and came to rest beside him trying to skip a stone that sunk quickly to the bottom.

“It’s all in the wrist.” He picked another smooth stone placed it in her hand and then demonstrated what she needed to do to throw it.

She hugged him when it skipped effortlessly across the water before picking up another stone.

“So what does knowing about love have to do with this?”

“In order to be in love or know real love or at least to be mate bonded you have to be open. Being open, even with you, is harder than I thought it would be. I want to tell you so many things, share all my secrets with you, yet there’s still that part of me that wonders if you will reject me if you know everything.”

“There’s always the chance I’ll love you anyway if I know all your secrets. Maybe if you’re not as perfect as you seem, that’s the one thing I need to know.”

“No one’s perfect, including me.”

“My mind may know that, but my eyes see perfection. You always seem to be there just when I need you. Perfect cook, perfect ruler, perfect body, it can make a woman second guess herself.” Her fingers walked up the muscles in his arm that were perfect too.

He stood up and tugged her to her feet. “Let’s go rest. I want to take you on a journey of a male that is definitely not perfect.”

They walked over to the blanket and she curled up beside him. “Look me in the eyes.”

They expanded and once again, she was falling.

She stood inside a hovel, a small room in a cave with a dirt floor with covered several rags that looked like bedding. The place smelled musty and old and a waft of defeat went through the air.

Syn walked in hair unkempt, shoulders bowed. He threw himself onto the rags before taking a stuttering breath.

“Syneca.” No one called him Syneca except his oldest brother when he got upset with him.

“Go away, Javon.” His voice was weary.

“You can’t stay here like this.” He finally walked all the way into the cave.

“What should I do instead, embrace humanity the way you have? Live in the real world like you? Forget that I can no longer climb the sky, see the beauty from above? Go live your life and leave mine alone.”

“You sound like a petulant little boy. At least you’re still alive.”

“Alive and caught in this fragile body. How can you live like this? How can I?”

“Move over.” Javon sat next to him.

That was the thing about his brother—the one thing he admired more than anything else. He took everything in stride. There was no losing his head; he simply dealt with what came his way.

“This isn’t the end, Syn. If he can take away our dragon, then there’s a way to get it back. We just have to find it.”

“I hear what you are saying, but I don’t know if I can. Have you never just wanted to give up?”

“Yeah I’ve been there, when it felt like a type of cruel death to take another breath.”

“Then you understand.”

“I understand that whatever you’re looking for Syn is on the other side of it. This is nothing but a distraction to keep you from going where you need to be.”

Syn dropped his head not looking at his brother because distraction or not he wasn’t going anyplace. The desire to lie down and never stand again was riding him hard, but he couldn’t do that here. It would be cruel if his brother came back and found him wasting away in eternal sleep of the dragon. If he could still trigger the sleep, and he wasn’t sure about that.

“I’m going to be on the other side of this cave fighting as hard as I can to figure out what needs to be done to regain our dragons. When you’re tired of feeling sorry for yourself find me.”

He stood looking down at Syn with hopeful eyes before pulling him up into his warm embrace.

“Dragon brothers forever.”

He turned and left Syn standing there, indecision on his face.

“I didn’t want to do it anymore. One more day of fighting was one day to much.”

Alexa turned her head to see Syn standing by her side; until then she hadn’t known he too was watching.

He disappeared and the scene changed.

Syn was standing on the peak of the tallest mountain he ever climbed. He had been too much higher peaks in his dragon form but he wasn’t a dragon anymore.

The world looked so innocent from way up here. There were no humans to stalk his steps or speak of things he didn’t care about. There was no instinct to hoard, although that was something he hadn’t lost. None of his brothers had.

Javon had a beautiful house filled with treasures. How long before he had to leave it now that they knew the truth? None of them were aging. They weren’t aging slow they just weren’t aging at all. They would live forever in the bodies of humans always longing to fly the sky. Mutufa’s ultimate punishment.

He looked down at the jagged rocks below him. He was so sure that he knew why he climbed this hillside; it had seemed so simple. Now it didn’t feel that way anymore. Stopping the only life he had suddenly seemed stupid. To sacrifice his beating heart and his pain to someone who wasn’t worth it.

He shook his head. No, not today. Maybe he was a coward for not going through with it but that was actually a moniker he could live with. If he had to be labeled a coward, let this be the reason. Then what would he do?

Climb the next hill, that’s what he would do. That’s what he did. The climbing made him feel alive, something he hadn’t felt in years or maybe it was eons. How long had it been since he’d been trapped in this wall of flesh? A hundred years, a thousand? Time came and went and still he remained.

Finding another handhold, he moved up the edge of the mountain refusing to look down. Below was nothing but certain death and he made the decision to live. It was the rumbling of the mountain that caught him unaware. Clinging to the side of it, he stilled his body. The motion grew, shaking him, making his grip less sure. He tried to move to find a better place to cling onto before the mountain gave one last shudder and he fell.

He fell and wild laughter tore from his lips. Of course, when deciding at long last to live this life and enjoy it, he would fall to his death. He opened his arms wide and embraced the wind. There was nothing like the feeling of floating through it. Mentally he said goodbye to his family as the ground raced up to meet him.

Without thought his body shifted. His arms became wings that beat at the air taking him higher into the sky. His body became the dragon. He soared, silently dipping and diving. Bubbles of laughter went around his chest and spewed out as big billows of fire. He was dragon.

“It was me all the time. Mutufa couldn’t steal every dragon but he could steal mine. I was linked to every male, female, and child born. Must be through my father but to this day we don’t understand it. All I know, since he was able to suppress my dragon, I suppressed all the rest. The falling in the end set me free. I knew I was going to die, and all I wanted was to soar one more time. I’m the reason they went so long without their dragons and now they expect me to lead. So I do, but I know anyone else would be a better leader.”

She was tracing a pattern on his cheek when his eyes finally opened. Lowering her head, she kissed him. Assaulting his mouth until he opened, her tongue caressed his before deepening the kiss. She pulled back and gave him a sassy smile.

“I’ll take two of whatever you’re having.” Tilting her head back, she laughed.

“I guess I’m still waiting.”

He caressed her cheek enjoying the feel of her nuzzled next to him. “Waiting for what?”

“The really bad part. I guess for you to tell me you cut your sister up in little parts and buried her all over the world or something like that.”

“Alexa!”

“Well, you must admit you did make it seem like that’s what was coming.”

“This is serious.”

“I know.” She sat up.

“I’m taking it seriously. You showed me that you were human. It must have been a shock to go from being a dragon, the biggest thing on the planet to a human. I know it would have rocked my world. Then to find out you couldn’t do any of the things you took for granted. I can’t imagine the feeling. Although you didn’t know it at the time, you were directly connected to all of your people so you felt their burdens and issues too. I’m surprised you made it, but you did. Why? Because you’re stronger than you think even in your weakness.”

“You don’t see me as weak?”

“No. Syn, the people you have to watch out for aren’t the ones who’ve gone through and have a struggle behind their names. It’s the ones who’ve never had to face adversity.”

He sat up and pulled her into his arms.

“You’re wise.”

“Nah, I’ve just gone through adversity.”

He stood in one smooth movement. “It’s time to get back. We’ve been gone for a while.”

She bent to help him clean up. “Tell me, what kind of things do you do as ruler here.”

“Paperwork, lots and lots of it.”

“I can help if you ever need a hand.”

“Be careful what you say, Alexa. I’m a drowning male over here.”

“I would love to help. I built a company from the ground up. I understand paperwork.”

“Ok, then I’ll show you somethings that need to be done and you can help me.”

She gave him a smile before she went to the jeep.

“This feels good.”

He turned his head. “What feels good?”

“You and me, like we’re a real couple.”

“We are a real couple, Alexa. It’s about doing things our way.”

She nodded and enjoyed the drive back to his mountain. The landscape was beautiful and the hills were wild and free.

George was sitting on their doorstep when they pulled up. All it took was one look at his face to know something happened.

“What’s wrong?” Alexa jumped out of the truck before Syn finished putting it into park.

“Tamia’s missing. I’ve searched everywhere. Mace is out searching and the evening is coming, and we can’t find her.”

“When did you last see her?” Alexa asked as she sat beside him holding his hand.

“I needed to go work on the plane, get it refueled, check the engine—things I’ve been trying to make time for and haven’t. She decided she wasn’t going to come, she was going to stay at home and take what she called a me day. Which usually turned into her making something elaborate for diner, so I knocked off early but she wasn’t home when I got there. I came here thinking…”

Syn nodded and headed into the house with Alexa and George behind him. A quick search of the house showed that she wasn’t inside.

“Let’s start by going back to your place.”

They piled up into the jeep and pulled out. Alexa wondered why George’s jeep wasn’t at the house but kept it to herself. Syn drove deep into the forest and stopped at a base of a tree.