Chapter Six
Just as Cynthia was starting to panic, Sullivan entered the room. His footsteps were silent and Cynthia didn’t even notice as he walked up to her, a proud smirk on his face. So she had found the necklace after all. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her toward his body. “Good morning,” he cooed into her ear ever so softly.
Cynthia’s body turned rigid at his sudden appearance. What would he say when he found out that she had been fiddling with his stuff? A sense of dread washed over her as she tried to think of a good excuse as to why there was a dragon necklace now physically attached to her neck.
“I’m glad you found my necklace,” Sullivan whispered after a moment of silence.
“Wait… you’re glad I tried on the necklace?” Cynthia asked in disbelief. She had been almost certain that he would be furious with her.
“Of course, because now I know you’re the one I’m destined to be with,” he whispered into her ear, nibbling her lobe from behind, his hands on her stomach.
What did he mean? Cynthia tried to process his words, but they were like gibberish to her. “I don’t understand…” she finally said.
Sullivan tightened his grip before letting go and took her hand. He guided her toward the bed, letting them both sit down on the edge. “There’s something I must confess.”
The tiny dragon on Cynthia’s neck seemed to calm down from its excited state, nuzzling against her and falling back asleep, going back to its rigid form. Cynthia looked up at him, puzzled.
“I’m a dragon,” he said simply. The word dragon fell between them like a large rock. Cynthia stared at him in disbelief.
“You mean… like a real one. Those huge fire-breathing lizards?”
Sullivan’s face contorted with the offense at her words. “I do not breathe fire and I am certainly not a lizard,” he said, trying to reclaim his dignity. “I’m a dragon yes, like the one around your neck. I have wings and I can fly, but I don’t breathe fire or acid or anything else for that matter. That’s just a myth the humans invented long ago.”
Cynthia just stared at him. She could hardly believe what was happening. “Okay, so you’re a dragon… but what about the necklace?” Again, she reached up and tried to remove it, but just like before it wouldn’t budge.
“Attar here…” Sullivan paused to reach out and run a finger over the tiny dragon. It lifted its head in acknowledgment, a purr-like sound emerging from within its throat, “… is my companion. As a witch, he’s most similar to what your kind calls a familiar. Strange how you don’t seem to have one yourself. It is the reason why I had my doubts at first, thinking maybe you were just a mystic.”
Cynthia’s mouth hung agape. How did he know she was a witch? Had she been careless with her magic? She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how long he had known her secret. “How do you know that?” she asked, feeling a bit threatened.
“I could sense it. You possess some very powerful magic. It was one of the things that attracted me to you… among others,” he said smoothly, running his fingers along the side of her face. “But Attar has marked you as my mate. Placing him around your neck activates his magic and if he deems you worthy, he’ll attach himself to you.”
“So I can never take him off?” Cynthia asked, a little concerned.
“As long as we both love each other, he’ll always be with you. At times, you may be able to persuade him to turn into a bracelet or maybe a belt buckle, but for the most part yes, you can’t take him off,” Sullivan explained. “But he knows that you love me too. He could sense it in your blood, that’s why he marked you.”
Sullivan was slowly pulling Cynthia closer. “You aren’t going to deny it, are you?”
Cynthia’s mind was swimming. Did she really love this man? No one had ever made her feel this way before. She knew she never wanted to leave his bedroom, but at the same time, the rational side of her couldn’t quite let her heart do as it pleased. She had just met this guy. She knew nothing about him, aside from the fact that he was a dragon. She wasn’t even completely sure she believed that.
“Show me,” Cynthia suddenly demanded.
“Show you what?”
“Prove to me that you really are a dragon… that this isn’t some sort of a cheap trick.”
Sullivan sighed. “Very well. But I will not transform completely. It’s too dangerous.” He did not want to admit to her that due to his exile, he was not allowed to do so.
She nodded, eager for anything that would disperse her doubts. With bated breath, she watched as he got up, standing before her. He closed his eyes and stretched out his arms. Attar craned his neck, looking at him. Together, they watched as large, leathery wings slowly emerged from Sullivan’s back. They nearly took up the entire room. His scales were black, changing into a deep, midnight blue depending on the angle. The tips of his wings were adorned with sharp-looking talons. He flexed them slightly, letting the soft breeze roll in Cynthia’s direction. He watched her face carefully, gauging her reaction.
Cynthia couldn’t believe her eyes. She really had fallen in love with a dragon.