A Mate for the Dragon
By Zoe Chant
Copyright Zoe Chant 2017
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Holly
Pausing on the dirt trail, Holly Edwards sighed, pushing strands of sweaty hair out of her eyes.
All around her was the quiet beauty of nature. There was no sound but the wind moving through the leaves, the rustle of small creatures darting between the undergrowth, and the quiet chatter of birdsong. The trees stretched upward, their canopy shielding her from the hottest of the sun’s rays, dappling the path ahead of her with spots of gold.
The long, long path ahead of her.
Despite the sturdiness of her hiking boots, Holly couldn’t deny that, after walking all morning, her feet were feeling tender and sore. She had to keep going if she wanted to reach the remote little cabin she was going to be staying in before the sun set, but she couldn’t deny herself just the briefest of rests.
Seating herself on a nearby rock, Holly groaned in relief as the weight was transferred from her feet and onto her backside. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out her bottle of water, swallowing the cool liquid down gratefully. While she’d caught a tourist bus to the entrance of the parklands, from hereon out, it was a long hike to the cabin she’d hired. She’s already been walking for a couple of hours, and she figured she still had a little way to go.
Holly, just what have you gotten yourself into?
Quickly, she dismissed the thought.
Isolated is fine. Isolated is good.
That was the whole reason she’d wanted to stay out here. Some time completely on her own, to sort through the wreckage of her life and heal her broken heart.
She hadn’t had even the slightest inkling that her boyfriend, George, was about to break up with her. Not until she’d come home, anyway, and seen the apologetic look in his eyes; not until he’d said the words, Babe, we need to talk.
It turned out he’d been offered the high-paid software developer job he’d gone for – the one that she had put him onto, and for which she had spent weeks buttering up her contacts to ensure he got an interview. She’d known that if he could speak to someone, the job would be his: George could charm anyone into anything.
Holly had known, of course, that if he did get the job it’d involve them moving down to San Francisco, but George’s new salary would more than cover the increased cost of living. Her own job as a systems administrator, while deathly boring, had brought in enough to support them while George had been unemployed, but it would be a drop in the ocean compared to what he’d be making. They’d talked about it, and agreed that long distance didn’t suit either of them.
In other words, once he had settled in San Francisco and found an apartment, she’d give notice at her job so she could make the move with him.
You’ve looked after us both for a while now, George had said. Let me take care of you for a while. Anyway, you’re so smart – I’m sure you could find something if you wanted to.
Despite her nervousness, Holly had found she’d actually been looking forward to it.
New scenery, she’d said. A fresh start.
And she’d been right.
What she hadn’t known was that, at some point, despite everything they’d talked about and the plans they’d made, George had decided his fresh start didn’t include her.
Maybe it had been after he’d received a firm offer, and the reality of having more money than they’d seen in years had finally sunk in.
Or maybe it’d been the idea of re-inventing himself in San Francisco as a swingin’ single, with the paycheck to support all the wining and dining he wanted.
Or maybe he’d been bored with her and longing for an escape since who knew when, and the job had meant he could finally leave her without having to worry about finances.
Thinking about it now, she realized she couldn’t even really remember whatever bullshit reasons he’d given. Just that it was over between them, she was no longer invited to the fresh start they had planned together – and no, there was nothing she could say to make him change his mind.
In her bewilderment at what was happening and the shock of seeing George’s suitcases packed and ready to go, Holly hadn’t even found the time to tell him she’d been laid off.
Well – she’d volunteered to be laid off. Her boss, the owner of the small company she worked for, had confided in her that he was worried he’d need to make cutbacks to stay afloat, and Holly had realized she couldn’t stand by and let other people lose their jobs when she was planning to resign in a couple of weeks anyway. She’d told her boss that she’d take the fall so he could keep others on, and give her assistant the promotion he so richly deserved. There wasn’t enough work to justify both of them being there, and he’d be able to handle things just fine.
Holly felt her face burning with humiliation when she thought back to how she’d excitedly explained George’s new job, and how they’d be moving away to make a new life together in Silicon Valley. Her boss had been over the moon for them both, and thanked her profusely for saving him the guilt of laying off someone else. She’d laughed and told him she’d send him a postcard from their fabulous apartment overlooking the Bay.
She hadn’t had any idea then that all her dreams were about to be completely torn apart, the second she walked in through the door of the small apartment she and George shared.
Holly had sat numbly on the sofa, her hands clenched into fists, too shocked even to cry as George had explained he’d be leaving without her. She’d barely heard the sound of the front door closing as he had walked out of her life.
Just like that, all the things in her life – all the things she’d been so sure of – had been ripped away.
No job, no boyfriend.
No prospects.
No hope.
Back in the here and now, Holly jerked herself up from where she sat, shaking her head forcefully.
No.
That wasn’t true – and she didn’t intend to let herself start thinking that way. Not again.
Not after she’d finally gotten up the energy to drag herself up from the depths of her despair.
Without a job to go to, Holly had sat miserably in bed for days, eating nothing but ice cream and watching brain-numbingly bad television.
It seemed impossible that everything had fallen apart so quickly. For those first couple of weeks, she’d had trouble even recognizing herself in the mirror. Sure, she looked like herself, though with dark circles under her eyes, a face puffy from crying, and wearing a tatty bathrobe instead of her usual sharp suits – the ones she knew made her look good, and hugged her generous curves. But there’d been something missing in her eyes. The sparkle was gone.
Standing and staring at herself in the mirror, Holly had decided right there and then that something had to change. She couldn’t sit around home all day, crying and feeling hopeless.
She needed to get out of herself.
She needed the change of scene she’d thought she’d be getting on moving to San Francisco.
And she had to get out of that apartment, with all its cloying memories and associations.
Holly had never been one to do things by halves. And she’d always been cautious with money. Even with George unemployed, she’d managed to accumulate a small amount of savings.
Enough for her to rent a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere for a couple of weeks, where she could hike, listen to the birds, smell fresh air, and lose herself in the beauty of nature. The cabin was rustic, and Holly hoped it’d serve to remind her of what was important in life, and give her a chance to refresh herself, body and soul.
There was something about paring things down to the essentials that appealed to her right now. Perhaps it was the thought that, despite everything, she was still alive, still breathing, still moving forward.
Speaking of moving forward, she thought to herself as she set off up the path again. Her feet still ached, but she knew she couldn’t sit around until the sun went down. One of the drawbacks of an isolated cabin in the woods was… well, that it was an isolated cabin in the woods. Who knew what kinds of beasts stalked these trees as soon as it got dark? This was an old-growth forest, and it gave Holly the shivers to think about how long some of these trees had been here. There was no one living who remembered these trees when they were saplings. And they’d probably still be here when everyone she knew had long since passed on.
Holly passed between their massive trunks, admiring the velvety green moss that covered them, stepping over ferns and brackens that had begun to grow over the path. She wondered how long it had been since anyone last walked this trail. It didn’t seem like it could have been anytime recent, but the owner of the cabin had emailed her to let her know she’d stocked up the deep freeze with enough meat to see her through two weeks, plus staples like oatmeal, potatoes, tinned vegetables, and a few other bits and pieces.
Considering that it wasn’t hunting season, and Holly didn’t know one end of a gun from the other anyway, she’d definitely need them.
Holly passed under a shadow and shivered slightly, despite the relative warmth of the day. This forest was a place of unspeakable beauty. But it was also just the slightest bit… spooky.
She guessed it didn’t help that she’d spent a lot of her adolescent years watching way too many horror movies featuring teenagers on summer camps stumbling around in the woods with a serial killer right behind them. Holly quickly glanced over her shoulder as a tingle ran down her spine.
There was nothing there, of course.
And anyway, now that she thought about it, she realized that spooky wasn’t quite the right word after all.
It was more… unsettling. As if, despite the peacefulness of the woods and the unworried tweeting of the birds, there was some kind of tension permeating the air.
Holly couldn’t quite put her finger on it, and after a moment she shook her head, dismissing the thought.
There’s nothing here. You’re just imagining things. If there’s anything unsettling here, it’s you.
She was determined not to drag her troubled mind up here with her. For the next two weeks, it would be nothing but peace and quiet.
Holly let out a sigh of relief as, at last, she turned a corner of the trail and the cabin appeared ahead of her, nestled between the trees.
She couldn’t stop a gasp of delight from escaping her lips – it was perfect. Dark logs interlocked to form the walls, while a gray stone chimney, covered in moss and lichen, ran up one wall.
It was just the place to get her head back in order.
Licking her lips, her heart beating fast against her ribcage, Holly hurried up the path, eager to get her shoes off and sit down.
Renewed energy at finally having arrived lent her feet wings as she bounded up the porch steps. The key to the front door was under the welcome mat, right where the owner – a woman named Heidi Daniels whom Holly had only spoken with via email – had said it would be. Sliding it into the lock, Holly opened the door, and stepped inside.
The interior of the cabin was just as beautiful as the exterior. Heidi had obviously spent some money doing it up and making it cozy and comfortable – but also luxurious.
A massive sofa of soft brown leather lined one wall, big enough for Holly – and seven or eight other people besides – to snuggle up on and read to her heart’s content.
A switch on the wall to her left lit up a lamp on a small side table by the couch, bathing the room in a warm, soothing glow. The wood paneling looked golden beneath it, and Holly felt heartened just looking around.
Everything about the cabin seemed to have been designed to engender a feeling of comfort and hominess.
Holly sighed happily, dropping her backpack to the floor and sinking down onto the massive sofa.
If I had a place like this to live in, I wouldn’t mind being alone, she thought to herself as she tugged off her heavy hiking boots, before tucking her feet up underneath her. She frowned, then sighed slightly. The memory of George sent a sudden painful spike of loneliness through her chest. If he were here, maybe he’d be giving her a footrub, or offering to cook up some food.
But no – she knew that wasn’t true, and there was no point in viewing the past through rose-tinted glasses. If George were here, he’d more likely be poking her and wheedling at her in a ‘cute’ way, until she herself got up to make both of them some food. Thanks, babe! he would have said cheerfully, while relaxing at full stretch on the sofa. I’ll just leave it to you – you know I’m useless in the kitchen.
And then, Holly would have had to bite back the words, Only because you never bother to even try, and busied herself over the stove, burying her annoyance in activity. Just like she always did. Whenever she’d come home to a mess that George hadn’t cleaned up even though he’d been home all day while she worked, or laundry that had been left in the machine even though she’d asked if he could hang it out, she’d always just gritted her teeth and let it go. She hadn’t wanted to be a nag, after all.
Blinking, Holly shook her head. No – she was going to enjoy only having to worry about herself for a change. Forget not minding about being alone: she was going to relish it. She was sick of cleaning up George’s messes, always having to solve George’s problems.
Sitting back on the sofa, Holly tried to smile. If that’s what love is like, I’m better off being alone anyway.