Venom: A Dragonian Series Novelette

THE SILVER AUDI stopped in front of two big metal gates which led to the Johnson’s large home. Ornate metalwork wrapped around the tall metal bars, creating an interwoven pattern of two dragons locked in battle.

As we waited for the gate to open enough to allow the car through I noticed that Becky wasn’t rapping her fingers on the dashboard or sighing every six seconds, as she had only a few hours before when we’d left. Her fly was finally at her side. I looked up through my window at the canopy spread out above us as we made our way up the winding path. The huge trees leading up to the house always took my breath away. Round ball lanterns run on a line throughout the trees and at night, Lucille lit them and the effect transformed the big oaks into a fairytale landscape. She drove down the driveway and I smiled again at the water feature looming in front of the entrance.

Lucille was a true artist. She sculpted and I guessed her taste in art leaned more toward the twisted side of things. The water feature consisted of a head and torso of a fish arching its back, while the bottom was a pair of women’s legs doing the can-can. The latter, was a magical spell that made her art come to life as water streamed in a bow out of the fish’s mouth.

The first time I saw it, I couldn’t stop staring at the sculpture. Thinking back I had found it a bit creepy, but the more I got to know Lucille, the more I loved it.

She parked the car in front of a three-door-garage and we all climbed out in a heap.

“Rosa, we’re home,” Lucille yelled as we entered the large oak door and she put her bag on a mahogany table in their dining room.

Rosa had worked for the Johnsons the past fifteen years. She didn’t seem like the help and was treated more like ‘a hands on Granny’ that made a mean coq au vin, just like the way Dad used to.

Turning away from all the excitement, Sammy followed me up the stairs to my room so George and Becky could have a bit of ‘alone’ time.

Walking into my sanctuary, deep orange trimmed in black lace drapes welcomed me.

Sammy opened the door that exited onto a small balcony and fresh air blew the curtains back into the room in a flowing wave of fabric.

I put down the purse Lucille had bought me during our first shopping spree on the dresser and glanced quickly at myself in the colossal mirror.

Sammy made herself comfortable on the king-size bed covered in a matching orange comforter with black, vertical stripes. Black and white pictures of cities hanging from one bright orange wall opposite the bed and small lights mounted into the ceiling had been my room for the past two weeks.

Lucille said it was mine whenever I came here with Becky. I’d never had a room of my own, or let me rephrase, I’d never had just one room to truly call mine. I’d had close to sixty-something rooms while living on the road with Dad.

“Elena, are you sure you want to come home with me next week?” Sammy asked paging through the TV device on her lap. “We don’t have this.” She waved to the entire room. “Or this.” She lifted the device in her hands to further her point.

“I don’t care what you have,” I said as I brushed my hair and tied it up into a sleek ponytail. “For the next four weeks, Becky will be glued to that boy’s ass.”

She laughed because she knew it was true.

“Besides, I told you before, I’m not a materialistic person.”

“Yeah, I know. Still, you won’t have your own room and our house is the exact opposite of Becky’s.”

“I don’t care. I’m actually looking forward meeting your Mom and Dad,” I smiled.

“You mean the infamous Night-Villain King Albert claimed.”

I giggled. Sammy’s father was the dragon the greatest King alive had claimed two hundred and twenty years ago. The king hadn’t been born with the mark of the Dragonians but it hadn’t stopped him from claiming a dragon with the most ferocious abilities of all the dragons.

“I can’t wait,” I joked, but deep inside my nerves were doing some sort of twist. I’d disrespected her father and the King on our mission when I insinuated that Blake might have a Dragonian, just not one born from the Queen’s womb. How was I supposed to know the guy was his father? I just hoped he’d kept his mouth shut about our conversation that night.

Turning from our chat, I felt in need of a shower for tonight’s “Welcome Home George” party Becky had started to plan just a couple of days after we came home for the summer. I walked to the closet and searched for clean underwear, and something to wear for tonight. I even took out clothes for Sammy to wear. I had so many now, thanks to Lucille and her big heart.

The party was going to be held at Longbottoms. Although I’d never been there before, I heard that it was the place to hang out on the weekends and holidays.

Stepping into the hot shower my thoughts started to untangle. In one week, I would leave to stay with Sammy for the remaining three weeks of summer. I was excited, even though she kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to come with her. A part of me was over the moon as I would finally meet her mom and dad, but a part of me was a ball of nerves, knowing that her brother, Blake, would be there too.

We shared a funny type of relationship. For some reason he always despised me, but always came to my rescue when I needed it. Like a couple of weeks back, he almost died saving my life. Nothing he did made any sense and it was seriously bugging the hell out of me. Why, I didn’t know.
I closed the taps and dressed in a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt. I slipped on my slippers and exited the bathroom.

Jumping next to Sammy on the bed I watched how she paged through the TV device in search of a good movie to watch.

I’d thought the one in our room at the Academy was modern, but when I came home with Becky for the summer, I realized the minute she showed me how this TV worked that the Academy had old hand-me-downs.

The TV had a small device that digitally linked to the big screen mounted against the wall. The device reminded me of an electronic book and it stored all the movies, channels, and programs Becky recorded to watch later, and so much more. You could page through it and browse or, if you knew what you wanted, you could speak to it and it would automatically take you to there. Then when the selection was made, you had to pick it up and send it to the screen.

My mind hadn’t been able to comprehend it at first, until I saw the small, tiny name of a movie Becky held between her thumb and index finger. Walking to the TV she then placed it gently on the screen and a huge play sign appeared. When she touched it, the movie started.

We made our selection and Sammy placed the name of the movie gently onto the screen. Becky had this flick move she did with her index finger that threw the program onto the TV without even getting up. I wasn’t as talented as her so Sammy walked the selection over and I pressed the play button on the device as Sammy jumped back on the bed.

Around four, and once the movie was finished, we started to get ready for the party.

Sammy decided to wear one of my short, black skirts, tall boots and a white top with a denim jacket. She pulled up her hair with pins until they were all in small knots all around her head. It reminded me of her dragon figure, but she looked absolutely beautiful.

I decided on a pair of skinnies with pumps and a top that fell slightly over my right shoulder. I grabbed my leather jacket just in case. The weather in Tith had a tendency to grow considerably cooler at night.

George reluctantly went back to his place, not far from Becky’s house, around half past four. Around five it was time to go.

“Mom, we’re going!” Becky yelled.

“Bye,” both Sammy and I yelled after Becky.

“See you girls later,” Lucille yelled from the kitchen. “Becky don’t drink and drive, please.”
Becky didn’t answer but she did give her mom her famous unbelievable stare through the wall. It made Sammy and I giggle.

“Yes, Becky, don’t drink and drive.” Sammy teased her.

“Oh, shush,” Becky said and nudged her playfully forward to the garage.

I looked at Becky’s Mini-Cooper and took a deep breath as I climbed into the passenger’s seat. A prayer flashed through my mind fast as Becky climbed behind the wheel.

The guy that had given her a license must have been smoking Dragon-weed or something.

I grabbed the safety belt as the engine ignited and hurried to attach the buckle. Loud music blared from the speakers and she reversed with a ghastly speed.

I turned around and gave Sammy the eye. A small smile broke on my face as I found her holding one hand on the window and one on the seat next to her.

She shook her head softly and I knew she felt the same way about Becky’s driving skills.

My heart pounded as Becky charged down the driveway at a break-neck speed and I sighed as her fingers tapped on the steering wheel, waiting for the gate to open.

As unimaginable as it may seem, the road was ten times worse.

I closed one of my eyes and peeked through the other as the first car in front of us came into view. She swerved to the left without indicating and a horn from the car she’d just barely missed honked loudly behind us.

“Oh, for crying out loud! Learn to drive.” She scolded the other driver in vain.

“You know that little device next to your steering wheel can go up and down. It’s called the indicator, Becky,” Sammy chirped from the back.

“I don’t need a backseat driver, Samantha.”
A couple of horns, swerves, and a heart attack later, we made it safely to Longbottoms.

I kissed the gravel as I climbed out of her car thankful to be in one piece.

“Ha ha, you are such a drama queen,” Becky said as Sammy climbed out of the car with a huge smirk on her face.

The name Longbottoms was displayed in thick, white bubble letters with a freaky little man with a white beard, wearing a tangerine attached to the sign. I liked the name and for some reason the little guy reminded me of the twins in the Sacred Cavern.

We took the stairs on the left and stopped right in front of the entrance. Becky opened the door and she was greeted by a giant of a man in his mid-thirties with a bronze shimmer in his hair.
Sammy greeted him next.

“Elena, Jimmy. Jimmy, Elena.” Becky made a quick introduction and I waved shyly.

“Hi, Elena.”

Turning away from us he grabbed the nearest waiter by the arm and told him to lead us to one of the booths.

Becky and Sammy started babbling away after we slid onto purple sofas and a huge wooden table. I kept staring at all the décor on the walls. There were millions of photos stacked on one wall depicting a variety of people in various stages of festivity. On the other side there were saddles, which I assumed belonged to dragons. Signatures were scribbled all over them and two of the saddles even had flying goggles and gloves spiked on the wall next to them. A small podium stood in the furthest corner where a band was tuning their guitars and musical equipment.

“He’s playing tonight?” Becky asked.

Sammy nodded. “It keeps him out of trouble.”

“Who’s playing?”

“My brother.”

A shrill laugh came from the door and Sammy and I looked past over our shoulders at Tabitha. She was wearing a really short denim skirt with high boots and a leather jacket that suited her perfectly. Her makeup was laid on thick but she was still by far one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever seen.

Sammy’s upper lip slightly rose to one side. “Urgh! Just one more week and she’s gone.”

Tabitha’s eyes caught mine and she raised one eyebrow slightly as if she was thinking ‘what the hell are you looking at?’ I quickly looked away.

My eyes went back to the podium as I watched Blake’s band tuning their instruments. There was no sign of him and none of the other members looked familiar.

The disco lights that dangled from the roof started to produce a show and different colors flashed from all of them. The lights were placed in five rows that pointed to the outside seating. On the verandah there were more tables filled with people. Big mirrors reflecting the entire club were mounted against the one side of the roof and my eye caught on stairs leading up to them and a private room jumped into my head. I wished Lucian was here.

Loud laughter came from the opposite direction and I looked again. I found an oak bar stretched across the length of the entire room. It was a mahogany color and had a sixteenth century feel to it. A couple of people perched on stools chatted with one another and the bartender was throwing some sort of cocktail show with three other bottles twirling in the air right next to him. A group of girls in their early twenties really loved it and they all clapped their hands and cheered every time he caught the shaker.

The photos on the wall close to us stirred my curiosity and I got up from the table and walked over to investigate a bit. The dim lights made it difficult to see them properly but I could still make out some of the figures having fun. Some had sparklers in their hands, other pictures showed tall drinks and party hats.

Longbottoms seemed like the type of place to throw a party.

I jumped as Jimmy’s figure appeared right beside me.

He laughed and apologized. “If you step towards that wall,” he pointed in the opposite direction toward the podium. “All of these photos form the word ‘Longbottoms’.”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded and I went to see if for myself. I walked over to the opposite wall and as I turned back, the pictures faded away and the word ‘Longbottoms’ was spread over the length of the wall.

A smile spread over my face as I stared at everything around me in pure admiration.

Jimmy joined me.

“So this is all yours?” I asked.

A lopsided smile appeared on his lips and he looked at the ground for a millisecond. “It used to be my brothers too, but he’s stuck behind Etan.”

I swallowed hard, not knowing what to say or what he must be going through.

“You must really miss him.”

“I do. I think the worst part is that I have no idea whether he’s okay or not. I pray for that knowledge every day.”

Standing in silence for a few seconds, a waiter soon came over and whisked Jimmy away. He excused himself before I could say anything more. It was a good thing too because I always ended up saying the wrong things in situations like that.

Leaving my perch, I joined Becky and Sammy again.

George had finally come in and he plunged himself on the sofa next to Becky. When they’re faces touched, it looked like they were stuck to one another.

I fiddled with my hair and kept staring at the people who were beginning to fill the place.

“You speak to Lucian yet?” Sammy asked.

“No, if he hasn’t phoned by now, he’ll probably phone tomorrow. His Dad is watching him like a hawk.”

“They’re going to meet you soon, Elena, and then they’ll regret ever being so harsh on the both of you.”

“I hope you’re right, otherwise in less than two years, everything will have been for nothing.”

She shook her head. “It’s the twenty first century for crying out loud. They should seriously wake up.”

Sammy always found a way to make me feel better as she gave me a hug and squeezed me tight. I didn’t know how on earth I would’ve coped without my two besties.

“Everything will work out the way it should,” she said in my ear confidently, “you’ll see.”

The corners around my lips curved up slightly at the thought of me telling her the same thing when she’d been worried about her brother.

“Otherwise, how do you feel?”

“I just told you how I feel,” I said confused.

She giggled. “No, I’m talking about physically. You are seventeen now, and you are growing closer to your Ascending.”

“Oh.” I now understood what she meant. “Fine, I guess. Nothing’s changed.” I didn’t feel any different, and except for the dream where I turned into the Sun-Blast that killed Brian, nothing paranormal was going on with me.

The waitress finally came around and Sammy had to smack her hands together to get the two love birds’ attention.

“You guys want to drink something, or is George’s saliva enough for you, Becky?”

Eww, she didn’t just say that!

“Oh, shut up.”

George chuckled as he rubbed his nose.

“I’ll have a watermelon cooler, thanks,” Becky said turning back to George once again.

“Make that two,” I added. The watermelon cooler tasted as if you’d jumped into the juice of a watermelon. It had a little bit of chili after taste, but not so much that it burned your throat. It was just perfect.

“I’ll have Firebeer,” Sammy spoke. Firebeer was like our Rootbeer. It was home brewed with no alcohol and sprinkled with Fire-powder.

“Make mine a Fire-banger.” George gave his order while his arm was still around Becky’s neck. When the waitress left, they automatically sucked onto one another’s lips again.

Looking around the room, I noticed that the place had filled up quickly and the same claustrophobic feeling I’d gotten from the Wall started to lay heavy on my chest. I huffed and mimicked Sammy’s pout when she saw Tabitha as Arianna waltzed into the pub.

Plenty of guys greeted her with two kisses on each cheek, even Jimmy.

She showed her perfect teeth with one of her million dollar smiles as a girl with short auburn hair stood beside her. She seemed familiar but I couldn’t recall where I’d seen her.

A silent thank you came from my heart as both of them walked up the stairs leading to the room with the mirrors.

“What is that?” I asked Sammy pointing to staircase they’d just disappeared up.

“VIP,” Sammy said. “Whenever celebrities or someone like Arianna comes here, the crowds can be overwhelming for them; not that Arianna doesn’t love every moment of it, but Jimmy put up the VIP room for all the famous people that don’t.”

I laughed at the way her nose scrounged up every time she mentioned Arianna’s characteristics.

She could do whatever she wanted for all I cared, just not marry Lucian.

After a couple of minutes the two bobbed down the stairs once again.

Sammy sighed a wanting sigh and my eyes jumped back to her and then in the direction she stared at. Dean, one of Lucian’s best friends at Dragonia, was speaking to a couple of guys in the far corner. Whenever he was near, Sammy’s entire posture seemed to change. I guessed it had something to do with them guarding Dragonia together a couple of months ago but she never spoke about it. Sammy just sat up straighter as she stared his way. A small smile broke over her face and I couldn’t stop staring at her. Her eyes caught mine and she smiled lowering her gaze back to the table.

“You like him?” I bumped her softly.

Becky immediately broke her kiss with George. “Likes who?”
We just looked at her and burst out laughing, they really needed to get a room!

“Dean.”

“That guy seriously blossomed over the summer,” Becky said appreciatively. The three of us had bumped into him two weeks ago, and all of us couldn’t stop gaping.

“He finally Ascended?” George asked. “What do you mean he blossomed?”

She gestured at Sammy with her eyes and gave George a huge smile. He just stared at her for a while and then he got it. Yeah, George wasn’t the type of dragon that caught things easily. He should thank his lucky stars that he would soon be able to see into the future. I wondered if he would ever reveal them like the Viden, but the thought made me smile because hearing riddles coming from his mouth was too hilarious to even contemplate.

Becky stared at him and dimples appeared on his cheeks. They did that a lot lately and I swore sometimes they could read each other’s thoughts.

The three of us slouched into our chairs and just stared at Dean as Arianna dug her nails into his arm, pulled him closer to her and whispering in his ear.

“She really is a pain in the ass,” Becky said, venom injecting into her voice.

Sammy’s smile vanished as she stared at the drink the waitress dropped off a minute ago.

“Hey,” I bumped her softly and she huffed.

“She’s a Princess. Every guy sees royalty when they lay their eyes on her. I’m sure Dean is no different.”

I put my arm around her shoulders trying to comfort her.

“It doesn’t matter; he would never go for someone like me.”

“Someone like you?” Both Becky and I asked confused.

“You know… poor.”

“Oh, please,” I said a bit too harshly.

“What, Elena, it’s the truth.”

“Not everything is about money, Sammy. I had absolutely nothing and I ended up with Lucian.”

She sighed. “It’s different.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Are you ready to have a good time?” Blake’s voice came over the microphone, sending the room into an uproar as our conversation ended abruptly. Everybody cheered, whistled and went wild, even Sammy, Becky and George.

I just kept staring at Sammy. She made me so furious selling herself short because her family didn’t own a dime. Any guy would be lucky to have her by his side; she was a beautiful being, and that was something money couldn’t buy.

“My buddy just came back, George,” Blake yelled again.

George jumped up on the sofa and roared with his arms stretched over his head and his fingers folded into two rock and roll signs. Everyone turned around and raised their glasses in his direction.

“Welcome back.”

I could hear the band starting to count off and the drums, guitar and key board began to play an upbeat tune. All of Longbottoms went in a rant as they started to jump in one spot with their hands held high in the air.

A million goose bumps rippled over my flesh as Blake’s voice sent a thousand tiny electrical jolts throughout my body. I could listen to him sing all night.

Sammy’s head bobbed from side to side with her eyes closed, as she lip synced the words of the song.

Of course she knew every word. Her brother probably practiced every new single at home before giving it to the band. Then again, he was the Rubicon and had no problem with confidence.

The next song I’d heard before. Lucian had played it for me that day we went to the gallery. My eyes closed as I listened to the words and the melody wash over me.

The strain in his voice was overwhelming as he sang about this girl he hadn’t met yet. I couldn’t help but wonder how Tabitha felt about that one.

Jarring me from my trance, my Cammy suddenly buzzed inside my jacket pocket. It could only be one person and I was done with ignoring him. I got up, squeezed past the crowd as fast as I could, and went outside for some privacy.

I found the quietest spot at the end of the verandah and pressed the button.

Lucian’s face appeared and he looked absolutely miserable for a second. When he saw me though, he’s entire face lit up. “Hey sweetheart, decided to stop ignoring me?” He squinted and the wrinkles I loved around his eyes and cheeks appeared. “Are you having fun without me?”

“Never. George came back, so I was forced to come with. How’s the trip? Killed a helpless little deer yet?”

He stared at me with a sour pout. “It’s called hunting and we don’t drug them. They are not so helpless.”

I started to laugh. “Whatever helps you sleep better at night.”

“I sleep just fine, thank you.” He sighed. “I wish we could come home, now. I really hate not being there with you. My Dad really needs to get with the program. It’s not the dark ages anymore. We don’t need alliances or anything.”

He was the second person to comment in that way.

“You need one ruler for Paegeia though.”

“Then Arianna can rule for all I care.”

“Lucian, you don’t mean that.”

“If it means I won’t have to marry her, I do.”

I huffed and gave him a small smile. I could hear his name being called in the background again.

He grunted. It was something that always happened just as we really got into our conversations. “I’ve got to go. Just don’t ignore me again, please. Love you.”

“I love you too,” I said softly though my heart was breaking a little.

“Have fun, but not too much.”

“You too,” I whispered.

He laughed.

“Bye, Sweetheart.”

His face disappeared with a click and I placed the Cammy back into my pocket. Turning to go back inside, I almost bumped into Arianna who was standing right in front of me. Was she eavesdropping on my conversation?

Her arms were folded against her chest and the girl that I’d seen come in with her sat at one of the tables closest to us; her feet swinging in the air.

Arianna looked stunning with her cream leather jacket and top which showed a bit too much cleavage for my taste.

“What do you want Arianna?” I asked clearly irritated with her presence.

She gave me that smile of hers; the one that told me she was gloating. “I told you before. Lucian is off limits, Elena.”

I huffed, smiled and started to walk away. She grabbed my arm forcing me to stop.

“We are going to get married two years from now. You’ll just end up getting hurt.” Her face was close to mine and her fingernails dented deep into my arms.

“It’s a chance I’ll take. Be careful that you don’t end up with the broken heart.” My voice sounded harsh but still soft.

She and the girl cackled with laughter. “Oh, how rude of me. This is Nicole, Lucian’s cousin.”

“Lucian’s cousin?” That took me by surprise.

“I have no idea what he sees in you,” she said in a sweet tone as her eyes scanned me.

“Pleasure to meet you too,” I said in the most sarcastic tone I could muster.

Arianna laughed again. “They are never going to accept you, Elena. As a matter of fact, I’m quite close to all of them. Nicole is one of my best friends, for crying out loud. I’m always there.”
I fumed inside, but Lucian’s voice appeared inside my head. Don’t give her the satisfaction of showing her how badly this upsets you.

“Enjoy it while you can, Princess.” I pulled my arm out of her grip.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Elena. I’m only looking out for you. You know I’m right.”

Brushing past her I stopped at the door. Everybody had turned our way by now, drawn into the juicy drama that was clearly unfolding.

“Looking out for me? You only care about yourself.”

She looked shocked at my words.

“Excuse me, who do you think saved your butt on that mission?”

I froze as a couple of Cammy’s were pointed my direction. Oh, crap. I wasn’t wearing a hoody and I tried to hide my face the best I could while running back inside.

I thankfully found Becky in two seconds. “I need to get out of here, Arianna…and now everyone is trying to take a snapshot of me.”

“Elena.” She gave me a disapproving scowl. We’d spoken about this so many times and her advice was to pose and wave.

“No, please. I don’t want my face plastered on every newspaper tomorrow.”

Becky wanted to protest but stopped when George pulled off his hoody and put it over my shoulders. “We can come back, Becky.” He said flashing me a look of concern.

“Fine, just wait outside. I’ll have to tell Sammy we’re just leaving for two secs.”

George pulled me toward the exit. Jimmy still wanted to ask why we were leaving, but George gave him a quick answer of wannabe paparazzi trying to make a buck or two.

“Where is Sammy?” I asked George as we ran down the stairs as fast as we could and hid under them. Thank heavens I’d worn pumps, if I had been in the boots Lucille had bought me I would surely have ended up with broken ankles.

“Shhh.” He whispered as a couple of people ran down the stairs.

“Did you get it?” I heard one of them say.

“Not entirely. Her hand was in front of the camera.”

“Doesn’t matter, that picture is still worth a fortune.”

“We can still get another one, if we can find her.” The guy that had taken the picture laughed as if I was some sort of thoroughbred horse. “Come, she couldn’t have gone far.”

Crouching low we waited for them to disappear.

“It’s not a good picture, Elena,” he assured me trying to calm my fears.

“Still, it’s going to be in every newspaper tomorrow. People know what I look like, George.”

“What happened?” He asked concerned

“The same Arianna-crap. I’m never going to get rid of her, am I?”

“Don’t underestimate Lucian. He’s been fighting against marrying that girl even before you came.”

I sighed knowing he was telling the truth.

“You shouldn’t let her get to you like that. Arianna is such a pushover.”

“Yeah, well, she’s a pushover with a lot of power. And she’s got the only thing I truly want, a chance with Lucian.”

“Just be patient. I’m sure you’ll get it.”

A couple of other people ran down the stairs too. I froze like ice every time more footsteps echoed off the wooden stairs.

“George!” I heard Becky voice yelling softly.

“Down here.”

“You guys need more help?” Jimmy’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

“No, we’ll be fine,” Sammy voice answered next to him as her footsteps made a dull, clicking noise down the stairs. What was she doing, giving up a dance with Dean!

“Phone me, Sammy. No matter what help you need,” Jimmy said simply. “You don’t know what those idiots will do to get a picture of her.”

“Thanks Jimmy. They’ll see their ass with me.” She laughed at her own joke.

“I’m sure they will.”

“Seriously, why didn’t you just pose?” Becky reached us as I still wondered about why Sammy was leaving with us. Becky’s tone was really starting to annoy me.

“I’m not like you. Besides, the paparazzi hate me. I’m The Boyfriend Snatcher remember, who knows what they’ll print tomorrow, Becky.” I remembered one of the headings they’d printed when they’d caught Lucian and me on our only date this summer. After that horrible day at the gallery, I was hiding my face underneath my hoody constantly when I was with Lucian. It was starting to become a trend every time I went out.

“You should really suck it up, Elena. You only make it harder on yourself.”

“Sure, one day. Just not tonight,” I grunted at her. She was so pushy, but then again that was Becky.

Sammy’s Beetle roared to life as she came as close as possible to our hiding spot underneath the stairs. I wondered how it had gotten here tonight.

“She didn’t want to spoil George’s reunion, so she insisted that you sleep over at her house tonight. Blake drove her car here, and said he would fly home,” Becky explained at my questioning look. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks for everything,” I grabbed Becky around her neck.
She stroked my back and I knew she really cared, even if she was being a pain. “Be careful. I’m only pushing this because your life might get easier.”

“I know. I’m just not ready yet.”

“Okay. Take care, and phone me no matter what.”

I nodded and looked at George as I started to take off his jacket. “Thanks, George.”

“Keep it, I’ll get it tomorrow,” he assured me with a smile.

“You sure? It might get chilly.”

They both started to laugh.

“He’s a dragon, Elena. They’re always hot.”

“Thanks, Babe, you’re hot too,” George joked and Becky slapped him with the back of her hand playfully.

I sometimes forgot that George was a lightning breather, meaning his core was always warm no matter the weather.

Turning from them, I ran as fast as I could to Sammy’s Beetle. She opened the door from the inside and it almost hit me on my hip.

I climbed in, closed the door and Sammy drove off. She hooted twice at Becky and George as we turn into the road.

When was this nightmare going to end?