KELLY PERKINS
The following morning, I woke up to a vacant bed. I moved and my head pounded. “Oh no, Kelly. What did you do?” I said to myself. Then it all came rushing back to me. I darted up, and regretted the rush of blood to my head. I wrapped the sheets around my naked body and got out of bed. I peeked into the bathroom. No one was there. I moved to the living room; no one. I sighed. He had left, whoever he was.
“Wait. Did I never get his name?” I said out loud. Holy crap. I never asked him for his name. I was so drunk and so enchanted by his presence that I never asked, or if I did, I did not remember. I looked at the clock: ten in the morning.
“Oh my god!” I shouted as I moved to the telephone and called room service. “Yes, this is penthouse three; could I get a large pot of strong coffee and a cheeseburger, and can you give room service instructions to set it up in the main room, no need to knock? Thank you!”
I moved to the table and grabbed a large bottle of mineral water and chugged it. I grabbed my wallet and left a tip on the dining table for room service. I ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. The car would be picking me up at eleven. Shit. Shit. Shit. So much for a luxurious morning taking a bubble bath and making myself beautiful for my new husband.
I really did feel like I had a bachelorette party. I felt dirty, hung over, dehydrated, and sick. But, it was all worth it. I really did have a good time with my mysterious Drackonian stranger. It was a goodbye to my single life, one last indulgence. He made it really easy too by slipping out while I slept.
After my very quick shower and layering on moisturizer all over my body, I was glad to find food waiting for me in the main room, all set up on the dining table. I drank a cup of hot coffee and then ate a greasy cheeseburger. It wasn’t what I normally had for breakfast, but it was the best hangover food, and would keep my stomach settled on the boat ride.
I took my mug and pot of coffee with me to the bathroom to dry and brush my hair. I needed all the coffee I could get. Miraculously, I was ready by eleven when the telephone rang. “Your car has arrived, Ms. Perkins.”
“Thank you. I am ready,” I said.
“Excellent, I am sending a bell hop now to your room for your bags.”
In ten minutes, I was in the car and the driver headed east toward the boat docks. I had never spent much time in New York, but when I had visited in the past, I didn’t even know that the area of town existed. Boats went back and forth to New York daily. As the driver weaved through traffic, I finally had some time to think about the stranger from my night of decadence. Now in the light of being sober, it felt very wrong. “What the hell were you thinking Kelly?” I muttered to myself. I had to get past it. It was now in the past and it was just a one-night stand.
“This is it, Ms. Let me get your bags,” the driver said, breaking my self-punishing thoughts.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile as I stepped out of the car and onto the ferry.
Once I was on the boat, it was more delightful than I had expected. The river was a wonderful, lazy river. It was very wide and we passed many quaint towns along the way. After leaving the city, New York looked completely different to me. It was so charming and lovely. The fall leaves were changing colors on all the massive trees that we passed. Oranges, reds, and yellows lined the riverbank once we were out of the city into the wilderness. It was beautiful, and the air was crisp. I moved inside to the refreshment area of the ship.
“You look very happy. Are you off on vacation?” the attendant asked me.
“Sort of. I’m off to be married,” I said.
She smiled a big smile and said, “Congratulations. No wonder you are so happy and with a big smile. Love will do that to you. What will you have? It’s on the house, in celebration of your love.”
“Thank you,” I laughed. “I would like a coffee with hot chocolate,” I said, mixing my two favorite drinks together.
“That is a perfect drink for a such a crisp fall day on the Hudson,” she said as she turned her back to me and began to make my drink. I thought about her words; was this love? I was definitely infatuated with Commander Kasian Jade and thought of marrying a Drackon alien weredragon as a very romantic and whimsical thing to do, but how could it be love? I had never ever met him.
“Here you are, nice and hot,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said grabbing the cardboard cup.
“Best of luck to you, dear,” she said.
“Thank you.”
I moved back outside onto the deck and leaned against the rail and I enjoyed the delicious hot cup of cocoa and coffee. It was the perfect partner to the autumn scenery. As I looked up at the tall trees, I thought I caught a glimpse of something very big flying overhead. I looked again. Could it be a Drackon warrior? Could it be my Drackon warrior going to meet me? Then I lost sight of it. I never saw it again, even though I kept my eyes glued to sky.
When the boat finally docked at my destination, there was another black car waiting for me. The driver was a human male, so I knew right away that it was not my fearless Drackonian warrior. I was sort of sad that he was not there to greet me, but he must have had a reason for it. I knew then that the quick glimpse of Drackon flying in the air that I thought I saw was not my Drackon coming to meet me. I thought it was a bit strange since I did not think there were many out here. Especially after the registration lady made it very clear just how rare Drackons on Earth were.
“Ms. Perkins. Commander Kasian Jade sent me to drive you to his home. Please allow me to take your bags,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said as I entered the car. I could get used to this lavish lifestyle of fancy hotels and drivers. I wondered if Commander Kasian was well off? He certainly seemed to be paid very well at least for his position as an engineer. We drove away from the river, passing through a small, lovely town that looked like it had not changed since the revolutionary war.
We pulled up to a massive, two-story cabin in the wilderness. My mouth fell open. I thought it was going to be rustic, but it was not. It was stunning, with lots of tall windows, wraparound decks, and elegant accents. The house was a vast lodge set amidst the forested areas. There were a lot of little gardens surrounding it. It was great, and sort of answered my question about the commander having great wealth.
"This is it," the driver said.
"Goodness. Not what I was expecting. It’s beautiful. Thank you."
The driver helped me inside. I expected that Kasian would greet me at the door, but he did not.
“Ms. Perkins. I am Agent Teqin. I am security for the commander.”
“Oh, nice to meet you,” I said, astonished by this massive Drackon warrior. I was not expecting to be around security. I guess I didn’t realize just how important the commander was.
“Commander Jade will be home in a few hours. He asked me to see to your needs.”
“Oh, that is fine. I guess if you can show me to my room, I am sure I can find my way around the house myself,” I said smiling.
“Of course. Up the stairs this way,” he said as he grabbed my bags. He showed me to a very beautiful bedroom upstairs. There were giant windows that made the outside forest look like it was inside. The tall pine trees were beautiful.
“Thank you.”
“Myself and two other agents are around if you need us,” Agent Teqin said. I nodded my head to him as he closed the door. The room was perfect. There was a large bed with white silk sheets. The connected bathroom was very large and had a huge tub. Looked like I would be able to get in a bath after all. Then I found a note on the desk by the window.
“My Kelly, please make this your home. I am sorry that work has called me away, but I will return to join you for dinner. I am excited for us. - Kasian.”
I smiled at the note. He was good with words, I had to give him that. I took some time to unpack and then freshen up. Then I was curious to see the grounds. Outside my window, I could see the head of a hiking trail, and I figured a quick hike to clear my mind from the previous night and start fresh would do me some good. I flipped over the note that Kasian left for me and wrote, “I’m here! Excited to meet you for dinner. I went for a quick hike. Love, Kelly.”
I debated kissing it with some lipstick, but I wasn’t even wearing any. It might be a little too weird anyway so I just left it at that. I left it on the middle of the bed where I knew he would see it first thing if he came looking for me in my new room. Then I head downstairs. There would be plenty of time to look at the house later on, so I went outside to make the most of what was left of the daylight.
“Hello. I’m just going to go look at the gardens and stuff,” I said to an agent that I had not seen before. He was very stoic and simply nodded to me. Okay, not much for conversation, I thought.
Outside there were extensive trees of all colors, and very tall. It was heavenly. I took in the natural air and strolled around the yard. At that point, I saw the trailhead that I had seen from my window. It looked wide and sufficiently simple, not one of those rigorous hiking trails, so I chose to go ahead and take a light stroll. I walked for a while, admiring the high trees and beauty of nature. It really was very peaceful out here and I could make it my home forever. I didn’t think I was very far from the house and I saw the trail up a head fork off in two directions. One trail went high and one went low. I chose the higher one, thinking it would lead to an overlook.
I hiked and hiked and moved increasingly higher and higher, but I never came to an overlook. I could see that it was getting darker, so I decided to turn back around. I made the exact same turn offs in the trail that I had made before, but then the trail moved further and further down into a ravine. That is odd, I thought. I didn't think this is the correct way. I turned and glanced around and saw another trail across the way, only slightly higher than the one I was on. That was the reason this trail was going into the gully; I was on the wrong trail. I felt so dumb. I was so lost in my contemplations that I didn't know I was on the wrong trail. How long had I been hiking anyway? I moved through the brush going off the trail, making my way to the other trail and followed it. But after what seemed like an hour, I had not yet reached the house.
I glanced around, puzzled. It was now night. I began to freeze in the dark forest. I didn’t even think to bring a jacket or water because I had only planned on a quick stroll, not a full on hike into the wilderness. Shit. I was lost. I thought about whether Kasian had made it back to the house. Did he see my note? I continued to walk, but really didn’t know which way to go. Was I going further into the woods, or was I going toward the house?
Such a variety of thoughts went through my head. I was scared. What sorts of creatures lived in these woods? Bears, cougars, I truly had no clue. I found a rock and sat down and tears fell down my face. I would stay here. I would stop hiking and getting more lost… but walking did keep me warm. I felt really dumb for going off the way I did. I was already a problem for my new husband. He would think I was a foolish woman and send me away.
I don't know how much time had passed, yet it felt like hours. I was cold and scared. At that point I heard something in the forest. I started to freeze. It sounded like hooves reverberating through the woodland. My breath got in my throat. I stopped and the hairs on the back of my neck held up. Then I heard my name, “Kelly! Kelly!”
"Yes! I'm here!" I cried. Tears of bliss and satisfaction overpowered me.
"I can't see you! Continue shouting! I'll find you!" the voice hollered out to me.
Then I saw him, in full dragon form. It was so dark, but I could see glint of silver off his wings and hard scales across his chest. His voice was soothing to me. I didn’t know if it was one of the security men or not so I asked, "Who are you?”
"I am Kasian. I am to be your husband,” he said to me. Then he flew with me in his arms back home… our home.