Dragon Kin 2

10

Vlad

I heard her get out of bed and into the shower from the living room. Ocean was still asleep. I laid on the couch in front of the fireplace, watching the flames and thinking. The red, yellow, orange flicker beast tongues calmed my mind of emotion and helped me think.

Emotions were good, we needed them, but not all of the time. I hadn't planned on bonding with a woman until after my hundred years of service was complete. That was the plan. I have yet to complete five full years. And yet here I was.

This was not the plan.

The questions about what to do about this place and her grandfather were simple. I sat up and started writing the emails on the laptop — instructions for the Mistress' cousins.

The question that had me looking in the fire was about her. Carmen. What was I to do about Carmen?

I hadn't given this subject much thought. Not just about Carmen but about anyone bonding with me. I have been over here a number of times and for long lengths of time. I believed I had met every Enedra in New Orleans. There were only two hundred or so.

Apparently there were others.

I met them, and the bonding never happened. Not even a twitch. I had a few girlfriends over the years. I even went out with one of the local Enedra. Rosin O'Donovan, was her name. We didn't really hit it off. She was excited at first, and I was physically excited. After three dates, she wasn't all that excited, and while I was still physically excited, there wasn't enough to push. I think of her as a friend. We've bumped into each other a few times since then. She's been friendly. Fun. But Carmen wasn't Rosin.

Carmen touched all my buttons, and that had never happened before. I look at this mark on my wrist and now question my growing pessimism about it recently. Not just mine either. The bonding happens less and less frequently in our city. From what I hear it is the same across our country. Also, there has never been a cross-over bonding with any other tribe: elf, man or lycan.

The mark didn't stop me from killing her.

I would not have killed an unarmed human.

It did stop me from arresting her and having her executed. Yes. But it wasn't helping with any of the follow through, was it?

I mean, in the good ol' days of yore it might have been fine to get marked, throw her over your shoulder and find a cunning woman to bring you before the king, but those days were not now. Grab a woman like that these days you might pull back a bloody stump instead of a hand — or an arm. Besides, no one for the last ten generations has seen a dragon — let alone the fabled Extos.

Her door opened and I realized I had fallen down the hole again, as these Earthers would say. The rabbit hole. We had a copy of that story at the manor. I meant to read it, some day, soon.

She wore a light red flannel over a light blue t-shirt, jeans and a pair of black hiking boots. She was stunning. I blinked several times as she approached to get my head away from my own thoughts and into the problems at hand.

"Good morning," she said, and offered a wan smile. "Did you sleep?"

"Yes," I said, and stood. "I was about to wake you. We should go before the sun rises. They may have watchers."

She nodded.

"Do I have time for a slice?" she asked, indicating the pizza box.

"If Ocean left any. There are two sandwiches in the fridge, if not," I said.

"I'll put them in my pack. Any ideas about where we are going?" she asked, as she opened the box and found half the pizza survived the night.

"Want one?" she asked.