8.

 

Norris glanced at the woman in the passenger seat of his car. She had been quiet ever since he had told her about his being a Dragon. And he knew it would be a lot for her to process. But he had faith in her coming around and seeing the truth in his words.

Still, maybe he shouldn’t have said it quite so abruptly. If she was any other human, she would have probably run away screaming. That, or probably laughed right in his face. And, in truth, she had said he was insane – and that he was legitimately crazy.

Maybe he had been mistaken after all and could not rely on his intuition to determine who his fated mate truly was. Maybe Gavin was right, and he shouldn’t have made any of the sweeping declarations of this nature until he knew for sure that she was the one who was meant to accept him under any and all circumstances.

“It’s okay. I know you are upset about everything I told you,” Norris said, shifting uncomfortably as he rounded the corner toward Lisa’s house. “I’m sorry for making you feel afraid of me. Or nervous. I didn’t tell you that to startle you. I just told you because I want you to know the truth.”

“You don’t really owe me the truth about anything,” Lisa said, sighing softly.

Her entire demeanor had changed after the conversation at the restaurant, and she had become very withdrawn and pensive. He was a little bit worried that he had gone too far. What if she decided never to speak with him again? What was he going to do with himself? He had been so convinced that she was the one for him. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that he was wrong. Not even when Gavin had gently tried to remind him that feelings were fallible.

“Of course, I owe you the truth about everything. I feel I owe the truth to everybody I meet. But, so far, you seem to be the only person who I believe is willing to accept it. Or is going to accept it, anyway. And I’m afraid to lose you because of that. It is so extremely valuable to me to know that you are willing to go above and beyond even your own personal feelings to try and be patient with someone who you think is completely out there.”

Lisa sighed. “Just because I’m patient doesn’t mean I am doing this because I believe you or want things to work out between us.”

Her blue eyes were deep with emotion, and she turned her gaze back to her hand. He could tell she was upset about something, but he wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it.

“I understand. But I am willing to do whatever it takes for you to accept me.”

Norris already couldn’t imagine his life without her. The longer she was near him, the more difficult it became for him to hold back his feelings. The Dragon within him was responding to her. Intensely. And the Dragon blood within her was clearly responding back, though the whole situation was probably incredibly strange and confusing to her. He needed to be patient. He couldn’t just force something like this. Love was like a delicate flower, as Gavin liked to say. It took special conditions for it to flourish.

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to change for me or something,” Lisa said, her tone exasperated. “Like I told you, you don’t owe me anything. We are just strangers. You can believe anything you want to believe in, it isn’t going to change my reality. I’m not going to judge you because, honestly, I have no real reason to care. We are not in any sort of relationship. We are not fated to be together. That’s all a delusion, and there is no such thing as fate tying us to be with one another for the rest of our lives. At least, in my life. And you are going to have to accept that. I don’t believe in it because, to me, that just isn’t the way things are.”

Norris accepted the words quietly and nodded. He already knew that much. Lisa hadn’t exactly hidden her feelings on the matter. And he wasn’t going to get bent out of shape about it. He had anticipated that much. Good things took time, and he was willing to wait for them to come to pass. Even though, in a way, it hurt like hell to hear her denying what seemed so obvious to him.

“I don’t feel like I have to change for you. Because I know that you are going to accept the reality of the situation. Maybe not now, but at some point, you’re going to see that what I tell you is true. And you are going to feel very ashamed of yourself about it. But I will forgive you. And I will always forgive you.That is what you do for the person you are meant to take care of.”

They had reached Lisa’s driveway now and Norris pulled in, gazing quietly at the woman as she took all of this information in. She was doing pretty well. She hadn’t run away screaming yet, at least. That was a plus.

“How do you justify believing that you are meant to take care of me when, actually, meeting you has done nothing but make my life more miserable?” Lisa asked, turning her face toward him.

Her beautiful eyes were narrowed in a grimace, as if the entire subject was just far too painful for her to articulate. He knew she didn’t fully believe her own words. They felt hollow. She was just trying to make sense of all this. The connection was there. He could feel it. It was only a matter of time before it was something they could act on. He couldn’t push her or pressure it into happening. He knew better than that.

And she had an intense attraction to him that neither of them could deny. Still, he wasn’t going to throw the fact in her face. He wanted to make her happy, not make her dread any conversations with him they might end up having with one another.

“Really? You feel more miserable after meeting me?” He studied her for a moment and then took a deep breath. “Because I don’t know about you, but you have been on my mind day and night since we met. Something in me tells me I’m not the only one this is happening to. Because it is fated, and you and I both know that something about this is beyond normal comprehension. I can’t just let myself believe all of this has happened for no reason. And I’m sorry you feel as if I make your life harder. But that is why I’m trying to make up for it.”

“Shit,” Lisa said, leaning back in her seat and letting out a deep exhale. “We forgot to stop by the rental agency. They’re probably going to be closed by now anyway.”

“That’s okay,” Norris said, a little thrown off by the change in topic. She clearly wasn’t ready to deal with these emotions yet. How could he blame her for that? He wasn’t really sure how to approach it himself. “I can stop by tomorrow if you’d like. We can do it then.”

Lisa pursed her lips, her face falling. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea anymore, honestly… all of this is a bit much. You know? We probably shouldn’t be spending too much time together. I will manage on my own. I have so far.”

Norris nodded quietly. “You don’t want me around.”

Lisa hesitated and sighed again. “It’s just…”

“You think I am weird. Or insane. Or both. And I don’t blame you. The things I am telling you really are weird and insane by human standards. I am not going to be offended by the fact that you are disturbed and cannot comprehend any truth in what I am telling you. In fact, I think I would probably be worried if you took me at my word. It’s very important to me that you are honest about how you feel. I will accept it.”

Lisa hesitated, her beautiful eyes full of emotion. When she turned them back on him, his heart stirred. She was perfect. He wanted to take all her pain and resistance away. But it would take time.

“Well, I told you. This is all kind of a lot for me to handle,” Lisa said quietly. “And I’m really not sure that I’m going to be able to see you anymore. It’s just way too weird.”

“I understand,” Norris said quietly. “Maybe you need some more time to adjust before we speak again.”

“No. No time,” Lisa said, her voice strained. The topic was paining her. She had a lot of mixed emotions about everything that was going on and it made Norris feel a little bit concerned for her peace of mind. Maybe he should listen. Maybe this really was all just a huge mistake and a big misunderstanding.

“No time,” he repeated, attempting to process her meaning.

“Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s too much. I don’t want to deal with this any longer. It isn’t fair. I don’t want to hear any more. And everything just kind of ends up leading in that fate or dating direction.”

“Many people believe in fate,” Norris pointed out gently. Lisa let out a groan of frustration.

“Yeah, it’s a normal thing for normal people to consider, but you’re not even a normal guy! You’re supposedly some sort of Dragon shifter? I don’t even know what that means. I just need something stable and normal. I need to focus on making my life better for myself,” Lisa said, her tone desperate. Her whole energy was that of pain. Disappointment. Confusion. Why couldn’t she just embrace the truth and be happy? Why couldn’t he take her pain away instead of adding to it? “I can’t try to accommodate crazy people anymore. It doesn’t make me happy. It just makes everything around me feel even harder than it has to. Does that make any sense to you whatsoever? I just can’t tolerate it. I have to create something real for myself. That does not include allowing space for imaginary creatures like Dragon shifters.”

Lisa’s rant went on, and her feelings fluctuated. She was speaking lies to him; lying to herself and lying to Norris about her feelings. Sure, she might have had thoughts on the matter that masked the reality, but it wouldn’t change the fact that the Dragon simply knew the truth. And he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was having a lot of conflicting emotions. She needed time to sort it out. That made a lot of sense.

And really, Norris was doing his best to be sympathetic and understanding, but when Lisa said she wanted something real, a small part of him snapped. What could possibly be more real than running right into your soul mate on the street? What could be more real than having fate decreeing that you are in the right place at the right time with the right person and having everything just fit so seamlessly together? How could she say such a thing to him? It was callous and shortsighted. If she wanted real, he would give her real.

“This is real,” Norris said, his voice uncompromising.

“But…”

Suddenly, his lips were on hers, and she let out a soft gasp of surprise. He could feel her resistance immediately slipping away and waited to deepen the kiss until he was certain that Lisa was receptive to his attention.

It happened almost instantly, and the depth of his longing was gratified by the sensation of her skin against him. She felt better than he could ever have possibly imagined, and he held her closer to him by the waist, their seatbelts the only thing keeping them from sticking together like their souls wanted them to. Lisa blissfully yielded to the strength of their passion before finally pulling away and looking at him in disbelief.

“Why did you do that?” she exclaimed. The Dragon within him could hear the hammering of her heart; smell the scent of her impossibly tempting arousal. “I told you I wasn’t interested.”

But the flush on her cheeks and the incredible attraction that she clearly felt for him was unmistakable. She couldn’t hide anything from him. And somehow, on some level, he was sure she knew it.

“I did it because I knew it would feel right. I’m sorry if you aren’t very happy about it. But I really wasn’t sure what else to do. I guess I’ll just go home now. If you truly feel that way, then all of this was just a huge mistake.”

He turned the ignition and waited for her to get out of the car so he could leave. Instead, she lingered for a few moments with her hand on the door handle. She looked like she was ready to leave, and he kept his eyes straight ahead, refusing to look back at her. He waited patiently for her to get out of the car and head into the house, but before she did, he felt a gentle stroke on his leg. Lisa had reached out tentatively to touch him, and a hot flood of arousal instantly ignited within him. The Dragon was awake, privy to the nearness of his fated mate, and he was ready to take her for all she was worth.

When Norris looked at the woman, the Dragon’s gaze was piercing her through his eyes and Lisa let out a soft gasp of surprise. “What…?”

But before she had a chance to continue her comment, Norris was out of the car and had come around to the other side, opening her door and helping her out. She let out a quiet cry of surprise when he pulled her into his strong arms, but she didn’t fight him.

“It’s okay if you don’t want this,” he murmured, though the Dragon within him was prowling around in anticipation. He wanted her to know she had a choice though. She thought he was crazy. She should probably think hard about getting emotionally or physically invested. Especially, if it meant she would resent him and inevitably conclude that they were making one of the biggest mistakes of their lives. “I only want you to do what you know you want to do.”

She surprised them both by answering with her body. Lisa stood on her tiptoes to reach Norris’ lips, her hands small and sensual against his back, and soon, they were kissing passionately, their bodies alight with the deepest desire Norris had ever experienced in his life. He wanted so badly to take her right then and there, but he knew that human courtship rituals took time and he didn’t want to scare her away any more than she already was. Besides, it was rude to do things like consummating love in public. Gavin had made that much very clear to them all early on in their days on Earth.

Still, it was almost impossible to resist. A deep longing consumed him as he held her close, their bodies eliciting a spark that seemed to go far beyond all rational thought. Lisa pushed him toward her door and unlocked it quickly, pulling him inside along with her. She seemed to be unsure of her own actions, but when she turned to face him again, there was an unmistakable fire in her eyes. She wanted him. And there was no mistaking that she wanted him just as badly as he had been craving her. Again, his faith in fate was restored and he gripped her by the waist, kissing her passionately.

The Dragon within him could sense her heady arousal. His touch brought a soft moan to her lips as he worked with intuitive precision to bring her deepest desires to fulfilment. He seemed to naturally know exactly how to move and touch her to bring her the most possible pleasure. He had never felt so connected to anybody before. It was an incredible experience, and he went slowly, relishing in the way they seemed to mysteriously understand one another without words.

It was shocking how their bodies seemed to work in unison, and the Dragon within Norris urged him forward with tenacious longing. Lisa’s skin was soft against his fingertips as he pressed his hands gently under her shirt, and he closed his eyes to relish in the gentle sweetness of her arousal.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.

Lisa gazed at him, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she allowed herself to surrender to her desires.

“So are you,” she said, her full lips curling into the hint of a smile. God, she was perfect. Maybe not the most perfect by human standards of beauty, but perfect for him. And that was what really mattered, wasn’t it? He didn’t understand so many things about human values. They left him deeply perplexed.

“Are you sure you want this?” Norris murmured, pressing his lips hotly against the nape of Lisa’s neck. She shuddered as a wave of pleasure crashed over her body, and her eyes fell closed. She nodded breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his broad torso.

“I want you,” she whispered. “It might be the stupidest thing I have ever done but I do want you.”

Norris pulled away to look into her eyes. Maybe now wasn’t the right time. She was still processing all he had told her, and she wasn’t entirely sure about anything right now. She clearly didn’t trust him.

Well, he couldn’t say that as an absolute truth, because he knew that on some level she trusted him deeply, while on another she totally had no idea what to make of him. Which part of her interpretation should he respect? It was so difficult to say for sure. It was truly her call and he wanted nothing more than to be able to know for sure which side of her self she wanted to honor.

But when Lisa bit her bottom lip, her brow creasing in concern as if wondering if she had done something wrong to make him stop, he couldn’t just leave her standing there wondering if he desired her. He did. Of course, he did. Everything felt right about her, even though she had claimed that he did nothing but make her miserable. Hopefully, he would be able to change that in time.

“I want you,” he growled, his lips hot against her ear. She gasped quietly, her whole body trembling in his grip. His body responded to the nearness of her and he held her tightly, his lips seeking Lisa’s again. She met them with a gentle eagerness that brought the torrent of desire swelling within him to a physical manifestation of longing. Lisa’s eyes widened at the sudden intensity of his desires being brought to her attention, and a gentle, inviting moan fell from her lips.

Norris nearly went crazy from the sound and lifted her gently by the waist, carrying her to the closest surface he could find. While in the air, Lisa wrapped her legs around his waist, and he could feel the tantalizing heat of her middle pressed against his groin. It sent intense flames right to his core and Norris let out a low growl of desire. Lisa arched her hips subtly in response, bringing the intensity of his erection to a whole new level.

He wanted nothing more than to sink into her; to make his emotional desires manifest and to keep her by his side. He wanted to hold and protect her for the rest of their lives and turn his need into something beautiful and physical and necessary. Maybe then she would believe him about the Dragon shifter blood in his veins.

He hadn’t even begun to tell her about the blood in hers. The beautiful magic of a healing race; the majesty and creative potential that lay dormant within anybody who was able to boast of a Loni bloodline. They were the most beautiful beings in existence as far as Norris was concerned. Especially now that he was sure he had found one of them to call his own. There was something so mystical and captivating about this woman. Her eyes, her being, her everything.

And that reality manifested itself physically as she held him close. There was something strangely familiar about the way she felt. It reminded him of his favorite mountain peak on Fiora; a range known as the No Zone, because so few people ever made it to the top unassisted by technologies, even in their Dragon forms.

But Norris had managed to make it up there – his body was able and strong with the noble blood that ran through his veins – and he had vowed to himself that he would never see anything that topped the beauty he experienced in that solitary moment.

Until now.

Until Lisa.

Now he had a whole new standard of beauty to measure the world by. How could this have possibly happened? It was too good to be true, and yet it was also so complicated and difficult. There seemed no end in sight to the challenges that awaited them.

Another growl of desire rumbled in his throat and he pressed Lisa against the wall, pinning her against it and lifting her shirt over her head. She allowed him to remove it, and he took in the sight of her beautiful body; the gentle slopes and curves that made up her breasts and abdomen. She was incredibly beautiful, and he buried his head against her chest, giving her middle a firm thrust as he sought a nipple with his lips.

Lisa let out a sharp cry of ecstasy as his mouth engulfed the sensitive mound, and he could feel her desires mounting against his groin. It nearly brought him to the edge of his self-control and he let out a low moan, his body aching for release before he even felt the purity of her skin against him.

“I don’t know what we’re doing,” Lisa said, her eyes closed and a laugh curling the corners of her lips. “This isn’t what I thought was going to happen today.”

Norris paused suddenly, his body on fire but his mind forcing it to still its conquest. She wasn’t sure. She had no idea what was going on. He would simply be taking advantage of the powerful and unspoken connection between them if he acted now without her fully knowing or understanding her role in the grand scheme of things.

Surely, she had her own dragonly instincts within her that were kicking in and allowing her to get close to him. Her own desires and the pullings of fate. Of course, they were meant to be together in some form or another. But not like this. She had no idea what it was she wanted. She didn’t even fully know who he was, or who she was for that matter. She had no idea how special she was or the way she could influence the universe with the expression of her sacred gifts; the ways the Loni blood flowing through her veins allowed beauty and magic to continue to swell and thrive.

She had no idea. How could he do this when she had no idea what it all meant?

“I’m sorry,” Norris said, gently lowering Lisa to the ground and waiting to let go of her until he knew she had her balance. “I can’t.”

“What do you mean?” Lisa asked, standing against the wall and bringing her hands up to cover her exposed chest. “Did I do something?”

The strange vulnerability in her voice made Norris feel terrible. But he just didn’t feel like it was right to do this with her. Not yet. Not like this. Not until he knew everything was going to work out as he believed it was meant to. He couldn’t take advantage of instincts she had toward him that she didn’t even know about yet. How could he live with himself?

Sure, she was embracing her desires, but that didn’t mean it was the way things were supposed to happen. It hadn’t happened on her terms. It had been the beasts deep within that were calling the shots. He wanted Lisa to have a say for herself, knowing exactly what it was that she was surrendering to. He couldn’t take her. Not like this. No matter how much it hurt her feelings.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Norris said, sighing and taking a step back. He scanned the floor for Lisa’s shirt and picked it up for her, handing it to her carefully. “I just don’t think this is the right time for something like this. You are vulnerable, and it just doesn’t seem fair…”

“Fair?”

Lisa’s voice was reaching fever pitch and Norris creased his brow, grimacing in concern. He didn’t want to hurt her. He really didn’t. So why was this happening?

“I just don’t think we’re ready for this,” he said quietly, taking a step back and clearing his throat. “You have no idea what we’re getting into. You don’t even know yourself yet. Or me.”

“Is this because I said you were batshit crazy?”

Now Lisa seemed close to tears, unable to fathom why she was so suddenly being rejected. Norris sighed and went to her, outstretching his hand to cup her cheek within it. She pulled away quickly with a huff, pulling her shirt over her head and keeping her back turned to him.

“No,” Norris said firmly. “I expected you to think I am crazy. What I am concerned about is how you are going to feel if we continue this. You are very vulnerable right now. Bad things have been happening to you and I am not convinced you are fully able to comprehend the instincts you are following with me. It goes beyond you. It goes beyond us all. It’s…”

“If you say fate one more time I am going to kick you out of my house,” Lisa threatened, turning around quickly to face him. Her lips were in a thin line, and her cheeks, flushed red just moments ago in arousal, were now darker with her anger and embarrassment.

“I can leave without you kicking me out,” Norris said quietly. “I don’t want you to think I am rejecting you. That isn’t it at all. I want you. Badly. I just don’t think these circumstances are the most fortuitous for either one of us.”

Lisa sighed under her breath and leaned back against the wall, folding her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes as she attempted to comprehend what it was that Norris was saying, and then finally opened them and locked on to his gaze.

“I guess you are right. I don’t know what I was thinking letting you in here like this. It was absolutely crazy of me.”

Although the words stung, Norris could sense the pain behind them. Part of her had truly wanted to be with him. Part of her already believed in the hand that fate had in bringing them together. There was some unconscious part of her that was very aware of the dynamic between them and wanted it to play out as quickly as possible at all costs. She knew they were meant to be together. She simply didn’t know how to go about it or why she knew it. There was too much in the way.

But he wanted her decision to be conscious. Even the Dragon within him, with all its unrestrained desires, seemed to sense that something was off in this interaction. He had to wait until it was completely right. Otherwise, there would be no point in even initiating a relationship with her. He could lose her trust, and then where would they be? Right back at square one.

“I’m sorry I said that you’re crazy,” Lisa said suddenly, her voice low and even. “I can’t pretend I understand your perspective, but I feel like there is something about you that draws me in and I want nothing more than to be able to just embrace things the way you seem to and live to the fullest. So, I guess I just want to apologize because I insulted you for something you probably can’t even help.”

It was usually very difficult for Norris to pick up on the emotions and feelings of others, but for some reason, it seemed incredibly obvious to him, at all times, exactly what it was that Lisa was feeling. She had a huge range of emotion, beyond the depth of anything he had ever witnessed in another living being before. It was becoming clear to him that she was more than capable of the vast and incredible spectrum of feeling that one would expect from the sacred carrier of shifter blood. There was no doubt in his mind that she had Loni blood running through her veins.

“It’s really okay. I should go though. This isn’t the way this should happen. It’s important that we are on the same page. That’s all. If we are going to do this, I want us to do it right.”

Norris sighed and headed toward the door, then paused and turned around to face Lisa again.

“We should do this right. I really want to go out with you. A real date. Not one that is just us running into each other. Something planned. Can we do that?”

Lisa gazed at Norris for a few moments and then looked down at her hands. “I guess we can do that.”

He tried to hide the enthusiastic smile that was creeping across his lips, but he wasn’t able to wipe it off his face before she caught him. So much for having the chance to conceal it. But that was all right. He wanted to have an open and honest relationship with her. That was why he had stopped himself, no matter how much he desired her. He wasn’t going to do anything she wasn’t completely comfortable with. And he wasn’t going to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with either.

They were just going to have to wait and see what happened. A real date. Something the two of them could actually arrange together and agree upon. Maybe a date at the new place that was about to open with the Dragon drinks. There was something about that place he really was drawn to. It would be the spot where magic was allowed to happen. It had to be.

“That’s great, I am really happy to hear that. Do you mind if I give you a call? I don’t have your number saved on my phone, but maybe you could put it in for me and we can figure out a time to do this properly.”

Lisa nodded, quietly considering the implications of what she had just agreed to. They were going to go on a date. An official date. Even after he had admitted to her that he was practically insane and believed he was from another planet and could turn into a Dragon at will.

It was clear she was having a hard time comprehending what she was doing, but at the same time, there was a little nagging voice deep within her that wasn’t going to simply let him walk away and never come back. Not without the chance of somehow figuring out whatever it was that kept her coming back to him.

That was something Norris knew and could accept. But he could not allow himself to become more intimate with Lisa. Not until everything was as completely comfortable as could be for the both of them. No matter how angry and exasperated that made the beast within him feel.

“Sure,” Lisa said. “Okay.”

When she was done entering her phone number in his phone, she sighed, and he smiled at her gently.

“I will be in touch and then maybe we can figure out a way that we can do this properly.”

Lisa nodded, and Norris put his phone back in his pocket.

“Until we meet again.”

He kissed her hand and walked outside, ignoring the peculiar expression that had crept across her face. He had learned exactly how you were supposed to treat a lady, and he was going to go as by the book as possible to make sure everything would come to pass as fate decreed. Whether the Dragon within liked it or not.