Cadence shouldn’t have been so attracted to the human, but she was. Liam was as sweet as honey and twice as fine. He was tall and lanky, and he had dark hair. She knew the years since her father’s death had been rough on him. It showed in his eyes.
She wondered, for a moment, why he had stayed at his post for so long. Had he been waiting for her to return? Had he been waiting to complete this one last favor for Willie? He would likely never tell her, but Cadence had her suspicions.
Her only regret was that she hadn’t come sooner.
They ate together and made easy conversation. He talked about his sister and his nieces and nephews. She told him about growing up human, but always feeling awkward. Somehow, talking came easily when she was with Liam. She was comfortable in a way that didn’t quite make sense to her.
The words of her mother’s journal came back to her, and she wondered how much of what her mom had written was true.
The journal had been something Cadence was never supposed to find, something she was never supposed to fully understand, but it had triggered something inside of her. She knew what she was now. She was a dragon, but more than that, she was a female dragon.
The journal had talked about mates. From what Cadence could tell, it seemed like dragons each had one person they were supposed to end up with. That could be another human or a dragon or some other type of shifter, but it meant there was someone out there just for her.
It was a comforting thought, one Cadence had to try hard not to dwell on. The truth was that if mates were real, she wanted Liam to be hers. She wasn’t sure if it was a myth, and she would ask her birth mother, but she had felt different ever since he’d first touched her.
When Liam touched her, it sent shockwaves through her body. Her mind felt like it might explode and the rest of her felt like it was on fire. It was a good burn, though. It was something she enjoyed, something that made her feel incredible. It was something she wanted more of.
Was this proof he was her mate?
It didn’t seem like it could be that simple. Maybe the entire mates thing was a myth, anyway, and Cadence didn’t want to be weird. She didn’t want to say, “Hey, I know we only just met, but do you want to be with me forever?” Talk about a psycho girlfriend. No, she wouldn’t be that girl. She’d wait and see. She’d be patient, and she’d be cautious, and if she and Liam were supposed to be together, fate would work it all out.
Fate always worked out, just not always in the way she wanted.
They finished their meal and left the little restaurant. She was surprised when they didn’t charge Liam and Cadence for their meal. She pointed it out to him, but he just shrugged.
“I help out a lot on the island,” he admitted. “So sometimes I get a discount as a sort of thank-you.” She could tell this made him uncomfortable. Liam was the kind of man who worked hard and didn’t expect handouts.
They walked down the streets of the village and turned left, toward the center of the island. There were so many trees here: so much vegetation. Cadence found herself wondering what her life might have been like if she’d grown up here, if she’d been raised among the dragons.
She knew she shouldn’t think like that, knew it wasn’t smart, but she couldn’t help herself.
She was angry with her mother for keeping this secret from her. She was hurt, and she felt betrayed. She had always done her best to build a good relationship with her mother, and the fact that Maryanne didn’t seem to have a problem with lying to her didn’t sit well with Cadence.
There were lots of little houses on this road, and they passed several with children playing in the yard. The kids didn’t turn to look at Cadence and Liam. They didn’t even seem to notice them, really.
“It’s a pretty safe place, for the most part,” Liam explained. “So the kids can play in the yards without worrying about strangers. No one gets to the island without going through me, and if for some reason someone does, there are dragons who guard the islands.”
He explained that years ago, poachers had come to the island to try to steal some of the children. It had been a horrifying experience, but the dragons had learned to be vigilant when it came to protecting their island. There was no such thing as being able to relax and pretend they were isolated. The truth was that threats could come at any time, and they had to be ready.
They walked a few minutes, and then they arrived at a small purple house. It had white shutters and a big front yard. There was a porch with a bench on it, and the bench was painted purple.
“A lot of purple,” Cadence observed.
“I wonder why,” Liam said casually, but she knew he was completely aware of the fact that she was the purple dragon type. She only knew because when she got very angry or very upset, her skin changed colors. She couldn’t completely shift into her dragon form, didn’t know how.
Maybe her birth mother would be able to help her.
They approached the door, and Cadence tried to fight the nervousness growing in her stomach.
“Are you okay?” Liam asked. “We don’t have to do this right now if you aren’t ready.”
“Does she know we’re coming?”
“Yes, I called her this morning to make sure she’d be home,” Liam said. “But she’s ready, and she’s happy to finally meet you, Cadence.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. She could do this. All she needed was a little bravery, a little courage. Liam took her hand and squeezed, and she turned to look at those big, beautiful eyes.
“Cadence, I promise you that everything is going to be fine,” he whispered.
Why did she believe him?
He was new to her, and human. He was so human. He was all man. She loved his scent and his hair and his smile, and she knew Liam was a dangerous man in that he could crush her heart if she let him.
Cadence decided to be brave.
She reached up and kissed him. She pressed her lips to his and he kissed her right back. He didn’t miss a beat, didn’t pull away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and kissed her with a passion she’d never felt before.
When he stopped, he pulled away and smiled at her.
“I think you’re my mate,” she whispered. She shouldn’t be saying this. It was embarrassing, and would make her seem like a crazy person. Maybe Liam already had a girlfriend. Maybe he had a lot of girlfriends. Maybe he didn’t have room in his life for crazy.
He surprised her, though, because he just smiled at her and said, “I know,” and then he took her hand once more and led her up to her mother’s house.