Chapter 11:
Marina
My nights were racked with dreams of Tredorphen. I dreamt he got lost in space and I had to grow my own set of wings to find him. In the dream, I'd equiped a helmet and took to the skies with vigor. I'd woken up screaming. Not a frightened scream. More of a THIS IS AWESOME! Type of scream.
Excited.
Thrilled to go find my new favorite toy.
And that's when it occurred to me, early in the long night. He wasn't just a toy to me anymore. Not just a body to ride or a fantasy to use while touching myself. Maybe it started out that way but, I'd genuinely come to enjoy hearing his thoughts.
I loved his vision of what the Earth must be like and his endless fascination with our culture. I loved how he wanted to get to know me: every inch of me. My body, my life.
I loved him.
I was never the girl who fell in love after a month. I was always the girl who never did. The one who awkwardly shuffled the words out after my boyfriend has said it a hundred times with no response. It seemed the only times I ever said it earnestly was when the other people wouldn’t say it back.
So when I heard that the shifters were returning from their scouting mission, I couldn't help the energy that tingled in my toes and caused them to clench back and forth over and over with excitement.
I waited impatiently with a host of other shifters as their ship landed. Khrelan, the beautiful bald dragon with the deep, dark skin was the first to emerge from the craft. He regarded the immense crowd and gave a single nod, causing the rest of the Weredragons to erupt into victorious cries.
My heart leaped at the sentiment, the roars of achievement and pure bliss that exuded from their calls. Their mission must have been a success. That would mean they had found food, after all.
I could barely contain my joy. I wanted to roar along with them but knew that I would look like a total idiot doing so.
Plus, the probability of them being horrifically offended by the gesture was astronomically high.
My eyes found Tredorphen's immediately as he exited the craft. I began walking toward him as though he would burst at any given moment. That the universe would still find a way to take it all away from me. Half believed that this was still a dream.
He greeted me with a half-smile that somehow made me even more endeared to his handsome face. I stood before him, tilting my head up to match his eyes. He rubbed his palm idly and looked every bit astounded as I did.
I beamed at him and wrapped my arms around him, uninterested in anyone who might have watched our embrace.
“Was it a success?” I asked excitedly.
I backed away to look at him and saw the leather straps that crossed at angles from both sides of his chest, forming an X pattern. Various weapons lined the straps, the only fabric covering his chest. This left me plenty of room to inspect his beautifully cut abs and strong physique.
His pants were something like leather: thick and sturdy. Perfect for a warrior.
A warrior.
My heart lilted at the phrase, and I couldn’t help but beam with pride as the crowd continued to cheer.
“Was it?” I repeated with a large smile.
Tredorphen stared off into the crowd and flicked his wings with annoyance, his tail drumming against the makeshift tarmac. “Not by my standards, no,” he said.
“Oh,” my face fell. “I’m sorry. I thought…” I looked off into the crowd of roaring shifters and shrugged helplessly. “Well, I bet I can think of one way to cheer you up,” I teased lightly.
The shifter walked away from me, and my eyes followed his beautiful body in surprise. Comfort returned to my being as he turned briefly to me and gave a smirk, reaching his hand back to mine.
“Coming?” he asked sweetly.
Despite having told me that he had to check in with the King, Tredorphen flew me into the depths of Graynar’s vertical caves, and within the hour we were nestled back in his room.
“I don’t want to keep you,” I giggled as the golden Weredragon began pulling my clothes from me, hungrily lapping at my breasts and moving his hand down the front of my pants. His body lurched dangerously close to mine, so I could feel the hard length of him against my stomach. I went to undo the front of my pants, but he barely moved his arm to allow me the room.
“If you just give me a second,” I said with a laugh and batted his hand away.
My movement was met with an eager breath as he watched my fingers intensely. I wasn’t moving fast enough for his tastes. I licked my lips and began pulling the creamy suit pants down, startled as he took over, pushing them hard down my legs.
He leaned in and began kissing me while I stroked him, moving his tongue in rhythm with my hand’s movements. Our lips met for only a moment before he buried his face in my hair, my breast in one hand and his other warming itself between my legs. It was as though he wanted to get every possible sensation from one single moment.
“I missed you,” I whispered into his ear.
“Mm,” was all he said, barely wrapping his arm around me to turn me around.
The rose-sheened shifter bent me over so that my hands laid flat against the wall, and he entered me, thrusting hard in unison with heavy grunts. I used one hand to balance myself and attempted to touch myself with the other, but from his sudden speed, I knew I wouldn’t be getting off this time.
I could feel the pulsing of his body against mine and grew that much more excited and needy to be touched. He grabbed my hips as he bucked against me, letting out a small cry as his body slowed to a halt.
With a breath, I turned around and gave a polite laugh. “Looks like you missed me too,” I teased and reached down for my pants.
“Come here,” he said and pulled me close to him.
There was an intensity to the embrace that made me feel warm and needed and then suddenly uneasy. I backed away from him curiously and wrinkled my nose at him, waiting for the joy to come forth, but he looked empty.
“I realized something when you were gone,” I said proudly, smiling.
He returned the smile in part and grazed the bangs that dampened to my forehead. “What's that?”
“I love you,” I said profoundly, his face dangerously close to mine as I pressed my hand against his cut chest. My eyes flicked back and forth from his, expecting some sort of reciprocation. I wasn't the best with men, but this time I was sure of it. I was sure my feelings wouldn't be left to hang.
When he didn't respond, I swallowed and began twirling my fingers around the straps and bandages that covered his muscular chest. “See, on Earth when two people are completely connected, they feel this strong pull toward one another and... well, basically it's the strongest and most sincere form of, you know, um, bonding.”
“I see,” he said in a small, calculating tone.
“Right...” I felt all the moisture drain from my mouth. “Maybe it's sort of, like... when you say you've claimed me. Maybe you could explain that to me, and we can mix and match our cultures,” I gushed unsurely.
He ran his hand down my arm softly but never met my eyes.
Suddenly I felt like such an idiot.
“It means you are mine,” he explained tersely, as though I were arguing his point.
“Right,” I nodded. “But how do you feel about me?”
He looked down, and his hand stopped moving. “I feel that you belong to me,” he repeated sternly, as though I should have accepted the explanation the first time.
Just days ago I thought that was the most romantic phrase in the world... but that seemed so far away now. Now it almost felt like a threat.” You are mine”. The words hung in the air as our eyes met.
“What happened out there?” I squinted at him and felt a chill crawl across my body, raised skin marking its ghostly path.
His eyes flicked to mine with such intensity that it made me sick.
The wild shifter set his warm hands overtop mine and then slid his palms up to my shoulders, settling there. “You don’t ask me that,” he said evenly.
“Tredorphen,” I said firmly. “Talk to me.”
In an instant of rage, the shifter slammed me against the wall behind us so that I felt a shock rush through my core. I shook under his grip and looked up at him in terror. “I said don’t!” He shouted, an echo of a roar coating over his deep voice.
He immediately released me, and he set his jaw with embarrassment.
“Marina, I am sorry,” he said in a low, sincere tone, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Immediately, he turned and made his way to the door.
I froze as he left me there, pressed against the stone wall behind me. His aloofness struck me with the force of a hand but even more painful. I felt too stunned to move and too angry to go after him. This must have been what past boyfriends felt like when I raced out the door after an argument.
Only this time, I didn't know what we were arguing about.
My mind screamed for me to do or say anything to keep him from going, but as the oversized wooden barricade slammed shut, I knew it was too late. My body ached at the thought of being away from him, but obviously, he didn't feel the same way. Not anymore.
Maybe Athena was right. I had become my worst fear: a stupid girl. I'd given my body to a stranger when what I should have been doing was focusing on my mission. I'd fallen in love with the idea of this protector, when in truth, I wasn't sure if I knew anything about Tredorphen. Not really. A single tear slid down my cheek, despite myself.
I had to speak with my sister.
I steeled myself, pushing away from the wall, and grabbed my things before heading out the door with a familiar slam.