Chapter Two
Wearing a robe and slippers, as it was getting colder out at nights, she padded over to him and hugged him. Aldain hugged her back then put her away from him and said, “Well thank you, but what was that for?”
Becca looked up at him with worry in her eyes. “I know something is going on with you. I figured maybe you could use someone to talk to, my shoulder is all yours.”
Aldain lifted a brow, “Well thank you for your kind offer, but I think you are a little confused. It is my shoulder you should be using not the other way around.”
Becca laughed, “Wow does that sound sexist or what? Who made the rules that only women use a shoulder to cry or whine on? Men aren’t machines, they need to talk too.”
Aldain smiled at her, “I will let you in on a secret. When men need to talk; if it isn’t something they would dare talk to a man about; would rather be holding a woman he cared for in his arms as he vented. A shoulder wouldn’t be enough.”
Becca gave him a questioning look, “Seriously Aldain, you know you can talk to me about anything. I love you. You kept me alive during a very dark time. I will always be here for you.”
Aldain would never talk to Becca about what was bothering him, so he offered to talk about something he knew she would be interested in. “How about I tell you the story of the Dragons of Paragon? That is the name of my clan.” Becca immediately took him up on that offer. After he made a mountainous sandwich, filled a party bowl with chips and took a two-liter container of orange soda out of the fridge, they both sat at the table. Becca sat opposite him, her blue eyes big with a look of excitement on her face. Aldain smiled, she loved hearing stories about anything magical or supernatural. Becca was still learning about that world since becoming a vampire herself.
He sat back and started telling her the story of his clan. “Thousands of years ago, when the Gods lived on Olympus…….”
Becca interrupted him, “What! Wait! They actually existed? The Gods of Olympus? Zeus and everyone?”
Aldain sighed, “Yes Becca they existed, and still do as far as we know. No one knows where they have disappeared though; when religious beliefs started changing, they decided to leave Olympus. Since humans were getting to the stage where they didn’t believe in the Gods anymore, they felt they were no longer needed nor wanted by mankind so they left. They just never told anyone where they were going.
Before I begin my story where I left off, maybe you will want to grab a notebook and take notes on anything I say. That way you can let me finish my story without interruption or we will be here forever, and you can ask me questions when I am done. Hmmm?” Becca took the hint and ran and grabbed a notebook and pen and promised Aldain she wouldn’t interrupt anymore and to please continue with his story.
“When the Gods lived on Olympus, the goddess Athena, who represents military strategy and generalship as the goddess of intelligence, fell in love with a mortal man. He was a general in her army who was a well-liked general and a man whose military strategy was unparalleled. His men would follow him anywhere. He, on the other hand, stayed by Athena’s side and made sure they won their wars because he was so in love with her, he wanted to keep her safely by his side. His name was Paragon. Athena kept her love for him a secret from the other Gods for it was forbidden to love a mortal. They could have relationships with mortals, but not a loving one. Mortals were considered beneath the Gods by Zeus. He and other gods used them more like toys but Athena felt in her heart that the only difference between them and the gods were that mortals died and that they had no powers, but the feelings of the heart were the same. Their relationship went on for almost ten years; then the day came when the unthinkable happened.
Paragon was mortally wounded in battle. Athena loved him so much that she just wanted to heal his wounds and keep him with her, but if Zeus was to find out not only would he punish her by taking away her powers, he could also destroy Paragon’s soul. He wouldn’t even exist in Hades which is the place where souls go. She could always visit his soul there, but she just couldn’t stand the thought of his life being totally extinguished. She made a decision. Instead of healing his wounds; she turned him into a dragon and named him Paragon which stood for virtue. He earned that right by always being her protector, even though she was a goddess. She bid the dragon to always help the helpless and be loyal to those he served, and to have a powerful sense of right and wrong. He must never ever harm an innocent, whether it be human or shifter. She also commanded that once a year, Paragon could turn into a human. She looked far and wide to find a woman she felt was worthy of Paragon and begged him to mate with her; he needed to keep his bloodline alive.
He loved Athena so much that he just couldn’t think of mating with any other woman. She then weaved a spell where he fell in love with this woman to the very core of his being. The love he felt for Athena was all but forgotten. She was the first soul mate. You see, Athena loved him enough to be able to let him go. All that mattered to her was that his bloodline be continued. She would share her love of Paragon with his descendants by always watching over them.
It is said from that time forward; every dragon that meets his soul mate will love her with his whole being, protecting her unto death and have no longing for any other woman but her. He would be incomplete without her. All dragon shifters are male; females don’t have the ability to shift. Some dragons go their entire lives never finding their soul mate. Those dragons either will marry just to keep their bloodline going, or never marry and die quicker than they normally would if they had found someone. The majority of us all are honorable men and dragons, but like mortals, we have some that have turned bad. When we find them, we kill them. They are not allowed to mate and spread evil within a clan. We were even knights at the round table; we take what Athena asked of us very seriously. Honor, other than the love of our soul mate is the code we live by, no other is acceptable.
Becca blinked, her tablet was empty. She was so engrossed in the story Aldain was telling her that she didn’t even think to write anything down. She realized what was bothering Aldain but didn’t want him to know she had figured it out. She got up and walked over to Aldain and kissed him on the forehead, thanking him for that wonderful story, then she told him she was going to her room to write down as much as she could before she forgot anything.
When she got back to their room, she told Cade that Aldain was lonely. That is what was bothering their friend. Cade hoped that night that his friend would be as lucky as him and find his soul mate, he deserved it. Thinking of mates, Cade remembered he was a lucky man that has one and for several hours he forgot about Aldain needing one and concentrated on his own mate.