Chapter Six
Christy knew sitting there sipping tea that had the same kick as a triple shot of espresso was probably stupid. Blake had been smirking and smug the day before, but right then he seemed way more approachable, and a little sad too.
Human, even.
But he was not a human; he was a dragon.
She asked, “Wait. You said your kind got cursed and turned into dragons?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It’s a fairy tale, but with a screwed-up ending, I guess. Once upon a time, a wizard fell in love with a princess, who just happened to be married to a knight, who was my uncle and Max’s father. They fought, and when it was clear that the wizard was going to die, he took his anger out on them by cursing them to be dragons and making them leave the world they had always known. The portal opened just as he died, but there was no way they could stay. They fought, my uncle and father and the others, but it had some sort of pull they could not resist.”
“Like the beams UFOs use?”
“What is a UFO?”
“Spaceships. You know, aliens and…never mind. You were born here then?”
“Yes.”
She looked away but not before he saw the pity on her face. “And you can leave, but you don’t.”
“Oh, I can leave, but unfortunately, I can’t stay over there like some can, because when my father broke that law, I was cursed too, but that time by the other dragons, by the Council. So, I can’t abdicate my punishment and live in your world.”
Sympathy and a little anger came then. “That’s not fair. You didn’t do anything!”
“I know. But what can you do? The law is the law, and there’s no way to change it.” He looked down at the cup, and she watched lines crop up on his forehead. How old was he? How long did dragons live? How many years would he have to live with that punishment?
She said, “So why did your dad do it?”
“He was…we were human once, and we still are, deep down we are. We feel all the same things humans feel. The dragon my father killed knew the portal was opening again and he raised an army; he sided with the Orcs and was going to lose them on your world, along with other creatures born of evil. He knew he had an army your kind had never seen and had no ability to fight. He was not the ruler of this world, but he could have been the ruler of that one. None of his peers could kill him because to do so would be to break the law. Besides, he didn’t want war here; he wanted to rule there.”
Her breath was a sharp inhale. “Your father killed him to stop him from destroying a lot of lives.”
“Yes.”
“And now you can’t have kids with another dragon or human here? That’s how they paid him back for that? I mean…that’s…” She could not speak. It boggled her mind. “Didn’t they care what the evil dragon was trying to do?”
“They did, but they could not bring themselves to break the law.”
“I would have,” she said hotly. “Good for your father. What happened to him, I mean after?”
“He died. He took the dragon fire.”
“The what?” Her hands clutched at the cup as she tried to puzzle that one out.
Blake clarified, “A dragon can choose to be immolated in their own fire, and he did.”
Oh. My. God. Her mind went utterly blank, smooth and seemingly without any ability to comprehend that horror at all. She swallowed hard and then poured a hefty swig of tea down her throat. The brew sent caffeine, or whatever the equivalent of it over there was, rushing through her veins and shocked her mind back to awareness and the ability to think. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. He was a great father, a great knight. One hell of a dragon and a better man.”
She wondered where his mother was, but no way was she going to ask that question. She was sure if there was a story there, it was just as sad and tragic, and if she was a sucker for anything, it was sad and tragic.
She asked, “So it’s pretty important for you; I mean, that’s why you went to my world and tried to get a…”
“Yes.” His gaze was so direct that she felt color flush up along her cheekbones. “I don’t want romance. I don’t need love. I need a child. If my line is going to survive.”
“I hope it works out for you.” His words had made her acutely uncomfortable. Leave off the baby part, and he sounded just like her speaking about sex.
