Garath
He had a date.
He was on a date. Which meant she’d said yes, and meant it. Driving with the utmost care, he’d picked her up from the address indicated and taken them to dinner. It had been a stiff, formal affair, and on more than one occasion Garath had felt the evening slipping away from him.
It was so hard! He didn’t understand these modern women. Talking to them was difficult, and he had very quickly realized that attempting to woo her right from the start would not work. Marie was different. She was like a flower that bloomed only once a season, and only under the right conditions. If Garath was to have her open up to him, he was going to have to ensure the conditions were right.
He just hoped that he’d gotten the second half of their date right. If it turned out Marie wasn’t interested, he may have tanked his chances worse than driving a Jeep through her wall. The pressure was on, and it was robbing him of his conversational ability as they drove to the next location. Unused to feeling so impotent, the dragon shifter was growing angry. This was his mate. She needed to be courted properly, and he was failing.
Fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he thought of the other way he’d already failed his mate. The one she didn’t know about yet, but would in time.
It wasn’t my fault.
Anger simmered deep within him at the memory of the smooth-talking silver dragon who had swindled him out of his treasure, stealing it from under his nose when Garath had trusted him. It drove his distaste for other dragons. He would never trust another again.
“When do I get to find out where you’re taking me?”
“We’re almost there,” he assured her. “I want it to be a surprise.”
It was tough to tell in the darkened interior of the SUV, but he was fairly positive Marie’s cheeks were turning pink with enjoyment at the treatment. At least, that’s what he hoped it was. She deserved to be treated like a queen, and the first thing she needed to do was learn how to move like one.
Not three minutes later he pulled into a parking lot, and after three tries, finally got the vehicle parked without hitting something else. More than once during the process he’d caught Marie looking at him in consternation, the offer to intervene on her lips. She hadn’t, however, and in the end it proved unnecessary. It still burned his ego to show such inability in front of his mate. Garath couldn’t wait until they got inside so that he could prove to her he was, in fact, worthy of her. She would see. She would have to.
“Maximoff’s School o—”
“Noooo,” he said, taking Marie by the arm and guiding her away from the sign and inside. “Don’t read that. It’ll ruin the surprise.”
“I already read it,” she told him, looking down at where he’d automatically linked her arm in his as he swept her inside.
Garath tried to act normal, pulling open another set of doors to usher them into the main hallway of the building.
“Why are we here? Is there a show going on today?”
“No. No show,” he rumbled, looking into the windows. They were all dark except for the two sets of double doors ahead of him. Diffused light shone through the frosted glass. Garath stepped up and pulled them open. “I hope you’re ready.”
Marie, her arm still linked through his, followed him inside, her head craning around. “Ready for what? I still have no idea what we’re doing here.”
“You’re here for class!”
Both of them jumped as a slender man in tights and a low-cut V-neck bodysuit appeared in front of them with a twirl. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”
“Actually, it’s a surprise, so I have no idea.” Marie shot a look his way, but Garath studiously ignored her, examining the room they were now in.
It wasn’t overly large. Squarish in shape, the floor in the center was lined with a light wood. The back wall was covered in mirrors and bright potlights hung from the rafters above, highlighting the floor itself. Chairs and a few benches lined the other three walls. Several other pairs were spread out across the room. About half of them looked up to acknowledge the newcomers.
“Welcome to Ballroom 101!” the man exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “I’m so excited. You brought her here as a surprise?”
Garath nodded. “I did.”
Marie gaped at him. “Ballroom 101? With you? Are you nuts?”
For you.
He frowned at the insincerity of her tone. Something was wrong. She wasn’t excited. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“Because. Look at me. I’m not a ballroom dancer, not in the slightest. And most definitely not with you.”
Garath’s response was swept away as the exuberant male chimed in first. “Are you kiddin’ me? You look like the perfect partner for him. Just imagine being in his arms, swept around the floor as he guides you. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have a chest of muscles like that to lie on every night! Whooo.”
A Latin-looking male sitting by himself nearby looked up and rolled his eyes.
“Quiet, Andre. You know I love that bony sternum of yours, m’kay?”
Garath was trying to follow the exchange, but it happened rapid-fire between everyone, the language and inflection throwing him off.
“I don’t know,” Marie repeated uncomfortably. She started to put her jacket back on. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“That’s why we’re here,” he said gently but firmly, taking the jacket from her hands. “To learn. This is a class for beginners.” He flashed a smile, hoping it would have the desired effect. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
Marie finally relented, and they stepped out onto the floor at the instructor’s request, along with the other pairs. There were five groups in total, along with the two instructors, Andre and Peter, the man who welcomed them.
“Now, spread out. Men, take your partner with your left hand on her waist, and right hand grasping hers, held out to the side. Like this.” Peter proceeded to display the position he wished everyone to adopt. “Ladies, right arm on his shoulder, and give him your left.” Andre mimicked the female position. “Excellent. Now I’m going to show you some basic moves to practice.”
Music wafted through the room, growing slowly in volume until it filled the dance room but did not overwhelm anything. It wasn’t quite what he expected, but the sounds were the same. He could pick out the strings, the woodwinds, and of course the crescendo of drums as well as the orchestra worked its way through the piece.
They moved back and forth in the basic steps, and though some things had changed, again Garath picked it up swiftly, allowing him to spend time helping Marie grow more comfortable.
“I don’t know about this,” she muttered for the sixtieth time as he pushed her slightly farther out onto the floor, guiding her with his hands, using his expertise to ensure he didn’t step on her feet if she made a mistake.
“Great! That’s fantastic!” Peter twittered from where he was working with another pair who were having a much harder time picking up the beats. “Keep it up, you two!”
The words of praise seemed to buoy Marie more than anything Garath had said, and she let herself relax some more. Garath was filled with protective fury at the other male’s intrusion into the moment he was sharing with his mate. This was his evening, and nobody was supposed to be interfering.
“Are you okay?” Marie asked quietly as they slowly moved to the music, Garath keeping time even as he tried to rein in his temper.
“Of course,” he assured. “Why?”
“You just stiffened up when Peter spoke. Your hands gripped mine a little tighter.” She rushed on at the look of panic on his face. “No, not to hurt me. But like this.” Her fingers squeezed tighter around him.
“Right. Uh.” He looked over at Peter again, then back at Marie. “Sorry about that.”
She followed his gaze, and then tilted her head to the side, smiling up at him. “You had better not be the type to get supremely jealous.”
“I’m not,” he assured her quickly. Too quickly.
“Really? Because I’m pretty positive you just got all worked up over a gay man complimenting me.”
“Gay?”
“Yes. Peter is gay. His partner is Andre. Can you not see the love between them?”
Garath looked again, and to his surprise, she was right. The two of them were constantly eying each other, making little faces and mouthing words as they moved between the pairs of students.
“Well, this is embarrassing,” he whispered. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“Then you need to do a better job of hiding your emotions.”
“I’ll do better,” he promised. And he would. For Marie, nothing was too much to ask of him. It was clear that she didn’t appreciate jealousy, and so Garath would have to be more subtle about ensuring others knew she was his.
“Good. Now, tell me a bit more about yourself.”
He spun her gently with one hand before pulling her back into him, using that time to formulate his words. Telling her the truth was not an option. Not yet, though he intended to reveal everything to her when the time was right. “I recently came to Barton City,” he said slowly. “For work.”
It wasn’t a lie, but it certainly was devoid of much of the truth, such as the reasons why, and how he’d come here, and just what it was he did for work.
“Me too. How long have you been here?”
“Coming up on a month. What about you? When did you get here?”
“Almost a year ago,” she said, nodding.
“For work?”
“Sort of. A change of scenery was needed.”
Garath almost smiled. Marie was hiding something too, something she wasn’t comfortable sharing on a first date. That made him feel much more at ease. He wanted to keep no secrets from his mate, but first he needed to show her that they were made for one another. Then he could reveal to her why.
They moved across the dance floor. To his surprise, Marie wasn’t thrown off by his size. She seemed perfectly at home with the fact that he towered over her by a foot. It was just another sign, he decided, another sign that they were meant to be together.
“And how are you finding the scenery?” he asked as they moved out of earshot of another couple that were starting to find their rhythm as well, though they lacked the ease of movement that Garath imparted. “Good, I hope.”
She had trouble restraining her grin. “It’s okay, I guess.”
“Just okay? Nothing that stands out?”
Getting into the fun of it now, Marie looked up at him through her curled lashes, batting them twice in quick succession. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she teased.
His heart bounced with each flick of those lashes, pounding deep in his chest as it tried to escape. Garath skipped a beat in the music and stumbled and fell, letting go of Marie before he dragged her down with him. Blood burned under his skin as several of the others couldn’t quite contain their laughs.
“Don’t worry about them,” Marie said, giving him a hand to help him up.
He took it, his hand swallowing hers up. She tugged and he rose to his feet, not needing her help but acting like it anyway. She was polite enough to offer; he would accept. Besides, it gave him another excuse to touch her, to hold her hand. He didn’t let go of it now, linking his fingers through hers as he held his left hand palm facing outward.
Marie didn’t protest the move, nor did she say anything when he took her other hand in his, holding it out to the side. It was a slightly deviated version of what Peter had told them to do, but Garath was feeling more confident now.
“Do you trust me?” he whispered into her ear.
She stared up at him for a moment. “Surprisingly, yes, I do.”
Garath took full control then, guiding her with gentle pushes and pulls of his hands. The music was rising to another crescendo, the tempo increasing, and he moved with it. Marie was pulled along in his wake, her feet rushing to keep up with him. One by one the other pairs fell away, the pace too quick for them to manage on just the first night.
Not Garath and Marie. At one point he slipped his hand to her waist and lifted her into a spin. The movement took a fraction of his strength, but judging by the way her eyes opened at being treated as such, it had a more profound effect on her. He stared into her eyes, the rest of the room vanishing into a blur as he was drawn deeper and deeper into the icy-blue circles in the middle of her face. There were depths there he hadn’t expected to see. A view of life that he didn’t know humans could possess within them.
It was almost like looking into a dragon shifter’s eyes. The effect was mesmerizing, and he dove in further, losing himself in her completely, his soul questing outward while his body continued to twirl them around the dance floor with a casual ease.
The walls she had in place fell away as Marie locked on to him, the two of them soul-gazing at one another in front of all the other pairs. It should have been an intimate, private event, but here they were anyway, a pair of exhibitionists for the rest of the class.
Garath dove past her barriers, seeking to find what lay lurking at her core, her true feelings. All of a sudden he was there in the middle of her wintry fortress, rooted in the midst of her soul. Fog surrounded him, drifting back and forth, the final layer of defense she had against his questing. He reached out, using his hand to pull it away, to see what lay behind.
PAIN.
The instant he touched it Marie recoiled, slamming defenses back into place faster than he could react. One moment they were connecting on a level he hadn’t envisioned possible for them. The next they were just two people turning slowly on the dance floor. Marie looked away, and he wondered just what she’d seen in him.
Silence filled the dance room, and he belatedly realized the music had ended. Everyone was just staring at the two of them. Garath wondered what it was they’d seen happen, looking in on the two of them from the outside like that.
“You’re really good at this,” Marie said softly as they spun to a halt.
“Beginner’s luck.”
“You’ve done this before.”
“Maybe. But are you having fun?”
There was the slightest of slight pauses, something so brief he wouldn’t have noticed it if he weren’t looking for it.
Marie nodded, her expression brightening. “Yes, I am. Thank you for this. It’s been a lovely evening.”
“It has, hasn’t it?” he agreed, giving her hand a squeeze that he hoped she found reassuring.
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. They learned a few more steps, and Garath did his best to ensure that Marie felt confident of her abilities on the dance floor. Maybe if she had enough fun, he could take her back again…or even to an actual ball, where they could dance for real.
Driving her home proved to be rather uneventful, and with only one unexpected tap of the brakes on the military-rented vehicle.
“May I walk you to your door?” He was unsure about asking, but after how well the evening had progressed, Garath would kick himself if he didn’t.
Marie bobbed her head up and down. She’d worn her chestnut hair down today, cinched with some sort of clasp near her neck and pulled forward over one shoulder. It was a beautiful look, much better than the bun she kept it in for work. He wanted to see more of her like this, outside of work and relaxed. Comfortable. Happy.
They walked up the stone pathway to her front door, the dual lights on either side casting crazed shadows as they approached.
“Thank you for tonight,” Marie said. “I didn’t expect anything like that.”
“I aim to keep every encounter with me unexpected,” he joked, making light of their first meeting, something he suspected would continually pull them together as time went on. It was a story they could tell time and again, knowing it would make everyone laugh, including themselves.
“Well, if it’s not too much trouble, I prefer this sort of surprise.” She smiled, her face bursting with joy.
“I see. Is that the only surprise you like?”
Marie’s head twisted and she looked at him sidelong. “What other surprises did you have in mind?”
Garath breathed deep, sucking in as much airborne courage as he could. “This.”
Then, before he could think twice, he leaned in and kissed her.
It happened too fast for Marie to pull away. She stiffened, inhaling sharply through her own nose in surprise. Garath could all but imagine her hands coming up to push him away, telling him to stop, and he prepared himself for that eventuality, for the rejection that was fully within her right to give.
Yet as he lingered there, tasting her for one second, then two and three, it never came. Eventually she relaxed. Garath wanted to cry out to the heavens as he pulled her close, their mouths parting softly.
He spun her gently there in the pale white light. It was such a wonderful feeling, being wanted. Marie’s hands came to rest on his back and he basked in the moment, knowing he would treasure their first kiss for all eternity.
It was both an eternity and an instant before he pulled away, recognizing that the moment had come to an end. He wasn’t the type to push. Instead Garath wanted his mate to come to him when the time was right, when she was ready. Although things had progressed far more rapidly with Marie than he’d planned for, it was going to be a while before she was ready to take it to another level.
The pain in her eyes would need to be solved first. He vowed to find out what it was, and do everything in his vast and unimaginable power to help her heal. Whatever it may be, his mate need not suffer alone. Not anymore. She could count on him for anything, from back rubs to fighting off other suitors.
Marie just didn’t know it yet.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” he said, peeling himself away from her with extreme reluctance. “But you said you need to work tomorrow, and I know how crazy things can get there. You never know when a maniac is going to do something crazy and come smashing through the walls.”
“Maniac indeed,” she replied, her hand still resting on his chest. “Goodnight, Garath.”
He gave her a quick hug. “Goodnight, Marie. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
They parted ways and he waited for her to get inside before heading back to the car, trying his hardest not to whistle.
What a fantastic evening! Things could not be going any smoother.
But he should have known better.