Legend of the Touched (3 page)

I'm not leading him on. What am I supposed to
say?
She gasped, frustrated.

How about, "no"?
He gave her a sideways glance
as if to emphasis his point.

She scowled, not liking talking telepathically with
him in the middle of school when they could do it verbally just
fine. Though this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have where
others could eavesdrop. Gossip had a tendency to get around fast.
The last thing they needed was for someone to say she had a crush
on Alex and was going to leave Darien for him because there was
trouble in paradise. People were actually starting to like her
husband. Before she came along he was picked on and pushed around.
He had friends now, which was good for them both.

With a sigh, she gave his hand a squeeze.
I made
sure to seem disinterested. I'm not leading him on. You know
better.

He's a guy. He's not going to pick up on it unless
you're blunt. Just like he never has.

He knows we're together.

I don't think he cares, especially since he reeks of
lust.

That couldn't be denied. She picked up on the scent
herself, a crisp, spicy, cinnamon that was sometimes overwhelming
for her. Most of the time she got over it. Darien should too.
Please don't make a big thing of this. You two are finally
getting along.

Keep your friends close and your enemies
closer.
Darien winked at her and gave her a small kiss on the
forehead, before going to his own class.
I'll see you in
fourth.

Chapter Five

The Inero

The small village of Shanrea was nothing like Inero
City, and Jason loved it. The island, which shared a name with the
village, was about five miles in diameter. Some day he hoped to
walk around the entire island so he could take in all of its
sights. Every day he explored a new area and learned something
different about the people there. It was fascinating. Everyone was
friendly, open, and helpful. What was even more amazing, and
foreign to him, was there were very few dragons there. Even more
amazing was none of these dragons knew he was the son of the Great
Dragon Lord of the Inero.

"How is your wife today?" asked an elderly woman. Her
name was Bernice, and he saw her just about every morning. Every
day he woke up shortly after sunrise, walked into town to get fresh
pastries from the bakery for breakfast along with coffee, a
newspaper, and mingled with the people some. She was always in the
bakery.

"Sleeping," Jason replied with a smirk. That was his
usual response. Gwen didn't get up early. She was far from being a
morning person which was quite the opposite of him. Most days he
got up with the sun full of energy.

Bernice dipped a chocolate donut into her coffee.
"One of these days you need to wake her up to see the sun rise.
It's beautiful don't you think? I'd like to see you in town
together. We won't believe you're married until we see you
kiss."

He rolled his eyes. The teasing never ended from the
townspeople. They believed him when he said he was married, but
they apparently needed to see the couple in action too. Then again,
in such a small town, there wasn't much else to talk about until
the next new inhabitants came along or a juicy scandal started. He
doubted many people came there to live. It seemed like more of a
vacation spot than for settling. Which made things easier for him
in the end since he didn't want to be around a lot of people
anymore.

When they first arrived, they had only come to
honeymoon. The more he fell in love with the place, the harder it
was to want to leave. Once he got all of his finances figured out,
he would look into buying the beach home the two were currently
renting. Maybe they wouldn't have to flee the country after all.
The upcoming war was nowhere near this place. No one had a clue.
Back in Inero City the rumors were just starting to circulate. The
people in the neighboring towns and countryside were suffering. His
father was pulling all of the people's resources for the army,
leaving little for the citizens to survive off of. Anyone who did
not comply had their home destroyed. Gwen, being from the country
originally, witnessed some of these horrors firsthand. Thankfully,
her town had escaped much of the brutality. Whether that was still
the case, he didn't know. He could only hope.

In Shanrea, there were no resources for the Royal
Guard to steal. Most of the money was made off of tourists from
Terran, fishing, or pearl harvesting. There were no cares.

He gathered up his treats for the day, his coffee, a
few tea bags for Gwen to choose from later, and his paper. "I'll
try to get her up with me one of these days. I keep telling her she
needs to try the croissants fresh from the oven for a change," he
told Bernice.

"You tell her that if she doesn't come into town and
show everyone she has territory over you, that one of these days my
granddaughter Elisa is going to kiss you. Your wife will come
running in." Bernice winked.

Jason couldn't help but laugh. "Sure thing. Consider
the message passed."

"It's so nice to have you here, kiddo. Don't keep
being such strangers."

"I'll do my best." He left the shop and went to the
beach. Once there he carved a holder into the sand as he set his
coffee down carefully, then took a large bite from his donut. He
began to read the headlines for the day. Most of them pertained to
local news. One in particular caught his attention though.

"
Land Borders Now Closed Between Oceina and
Inero
" The article was short, stating economical problems as
the need for the forced lock down between the two nations. It also
said that all Oceina residents who were doing business in the area,
or visiting, were to return home immediately.

Jason let out a quiet whistle between his teeth, and
set the paper down, staring at the ocean.

"It's going to happen," he whispered. For the first
time in a long time, he closed his eyes and prayed. He didn't leave
his spot until several hours later.

Chapter Six

The Oceina

Another long day of classes was under his belt.
Darien thought about dropping out several times. It's not like he
was there for the education, but seeing Alex talking to Tai today
rubbed him the wrong way. Leaving them alone together seemed like a
bad idea.

Darien and Tai came home; she took a nap while he did
what little homework he had. Oddly, what used to be a chore and
frustrating was now a welcome distraction. When he did his
assignments for school, he didn't have to sit and think about the
war, about running the nation, about losing his wife, about if his
brothers and family respected him, about anything. Only math,
science, and literature. Once that was completed, he curled up
around Tai and held her, wanting badly to fall asleep as well. It
wouldn't come for him, as usual.

"I'm worried about you," Tai whispered.

"Go back to sleep, I'm fine," he whispered back,
stroking her hair.

"You're not sleeping, and you barely eat. That's not
fine."

"I don't feel like it. What do you want me to do?" He
sighed. He'd been trying so hard to not worry her. As his stress
level increased, it was getting harder to hide, and he had no real
outlet to get rid of it.

She rolled onto her side so she could face him, and
touched his nose with her index finger. "Take
one
night off
for me?"

Darien laughed. "I'm not doing any work tonight."

"In your head."

He gazed into her wide blue eyes and saw her silent
pleading. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead. "Will you help
me?"

"Yes, of course."

"Want to give it a try now?"

"Sure." Tai sat up in bed, clearly a little startled
by how easily he was giving in to her. He didn't know why she was
expecting a fight, probably because he could be just as stubborn as
her. There was no reason for him to argue anymore. He'd only be
wasting his breath.

She pressed her lips together for a moment, and he
knew she was thinking. What, he didn't know because she'd picked up
on the tricks for blocking him from her head fast. A blessing and a
burden. He had to trust her. If normal human couples couldn't read
minds and were capable of trust, then so was he.

"Maybe if you tried telling me more about how you
feel, it would help," she suggested. "I'm not made of glass. I can
handle hearing your problems. We'll be okay."

He shook his head and then laid it closer to her
face. "I know. There isn't much to tell you that you haven't
already heard. It's this waiting thing. I hate doing it. Most of
the problems I'm having with the Inero, with my family, I've
started to accept. My ability to be patient is getting stronger
every day. The things that bug me right now, that keep me awake and
distracted, have to do with you."

Tai pressed her face into his chest. "I'm okay.
Outside of being tired, I feel fine. Your magic isn't hurting me.
The doctor says everything is perfectly normal."

"I know."

"So why are you bothered because of me? Am I doing
something wrong?"

"I wonder more if I am," he said quietly.

"Darien, you're nothing but wonderful to me, and I
know you'll keep me safe. I'm confused." Then she groaned. "You're
still thinking about Alex."

"Do you blame me?"

"You're paranoid."

"With good reason, you're a great catch! And he's a
pretty big stud." He snorted, trying to put on more of a playful
tone than an aggressive one. The goal was to avoid a fight with
her. She scoffed at him and shook her head, though it felt more
like a nuzzle against his chest.

He continued. "I won't bring it up again unless I see
something more. But you know how you said you're not made of glass?
I'm not either, so if I am doing something wrong, please tell me?
Even with everything going on, you and Ethan are my number one
priority. Always."

She exhaled slowly. "I'll keep that in mind. Even if
it's petty?"

"Anything." He smiled, feeling better already. He
kissed her hair. "You always have the best ideas."

Chapter Seven

The Inero

Gwen rolled the cookie dough into small balls,
placing them onto the cookie sheet perfectly spaced. She sang
softly as she did this because she was in a fantastic mood. Baking
always had a way of doing so. Not that she needed the boost,
because she was so happy she might as well have been flying. Life
couldn't get any better. Yes, she missed her parents and the farm,
but she always knew leaving home was part of her future. Plus Jason
said she could write them a few times to make sure everything was
okay, so that made being apart easier. Only one thing could make
her even happier, and that was him. She was ready. Tonight would be
the night they first made love.

Everything was set. A perfect, sweet, candle-lit
dinner. She had found a cute and subtly provocative maroon dress to
wear, and high heels to match. Not like she needed to be taller,
but she did like what they did for her legs. The goal was to hint,
but not be blunt just in case he wasn't quite there. Some nights
when he kissed her good night, she could feel the passion and
longing he had for her. She felt those things too, but mating with
a dragon was complicated business. The physical act was certainly
the same as if he was human, but the consequences were much
steeper. She needed to be positive before taking this leap. And now
she was.

The oven timer went off and she pulled the cookies
out. Pleased with how they smelled, she placed them onto a cooling
rack. She took one to eat, and that's when Jason walked back in to
their temporary beach home. They could stay there forever, she
loved it there so much. The house was growing on him too, she could
tell.

"Hey, I – " He stared at her for a long time.
"Whoa."

Her fingernails tapped on her side as she stared
back. "Yes?"

"What's the occasion?" He swallowed.

"I was feeling girlie," she said coyly. This was
exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for.

"Girl is a good look on you."

"I always look like a girl."

"Yes, you do. I mean..." His eyes roamed up and down
her body. "Wow."

She motioned for him to sit at the dinner table. "Is
chicken all right for tonight? I know you were outside getting some
work done in the garden so you probably are starving for something
heavier, but–"

"It's fine. You know I'll eat anything you make. Did
you cook in that?" He sat across from her. His eyes still never
left her, and she noticed he was struggling to keep them on her
face. Usually he was good about maintaining eye contact with her
while they spoke. Not typical guy behavior, but Jason seemed to
strive to not be a typical guy which was exactly how he was acting
tonight.

Gwen had to fight back her giggles, because it was
too funny. "Are you okay? Not going to have a melt down or anything
are you?"

"No, I'm fine. I promise." He took a few bites,
pleased with her cooking, which in turn made her beam with pride.
She'd never been great at it, but apparently she retained more
observations of her mother than she originally thought. Most of her
kitchen skills were self-taught. It felt nice to be able to provide
him with something.

She nodded and went about eating as well.
I did
awesome at this.
"You have a weird look on your face, so I had
to check."

"Do not." He scowled and then shook his head. "What's
the occasion? It's not your birthday or anything is it? I could
have sworn you said that was in the winter. Unless more time has
passed than I thought?"

"No, it's still the beginning of fall. And you're
right, my birthday is in the winter just before the end of the
year. There's no special occasion. I thought a date might be nice.
It's been a little while since we last had one." She bit her lip,
hoping he'd understand.