Chapter 6

Six

The inside of the restaurant was gorgeous. The walls were smooth, black granite, which was almost reflective, containing white and gold veins running through the rock like grain on wood. Black granite tables lined with gold trim edges dotted the dining room surrounded by modern leather seats. The wall behind the bar was stainless steel with glass shelves containing various bottles of liquors in the price range of expensive to obscenely expensive. The ceiling resembled a cave with stalactites hanging from above hollowed out to contain the lightbulbs. It was the best combination of ultra-modern design with natural complements. The floor was a deep-colored wood that somehow made the overall look tie together. The major source of light was from the wall-length windows on the right that were in the perfect direction just where the sun was able to pour into it.

I feel like I am in a cave. I love it!

Enzo walked up to the podium, and the red-headed girl wearing black pants and a white button-down shirt with a black tie behind it immediately stood up straight and ran her hands through her hair at the sight of him. The girl’s Emerald green eyes scanned him from top to bottom, her smile growing as she did. Kaida made a noise inside her throat that almost resembled a growl. A pathetic growl, but a growl nonetheless.

Is… my dragon showing herself now that I have Enzo? Kaida wondered to herself as her eyes went wide with shock.

She had to quickly adjust her face to show no emotion as Enzo glanced over his shoulder at her. Kaida raised her eyebrows in a questioning way at him, and he responded with a smirk. When he looked back at the hostess, his joking demeanor disappeared.

“I need a table for two, please.”

The hostess looked like she was going to melt into a puddle at his words. “Absolutely,” she said breathlessly, “are you waiting for your second person?”

The girl was clearly so focused on the fact Enzo was standing in front of her that she missed the fact Kaida was standing right next to him when she asked the question which made her look like a complete idiot. Kaida looked up at Enzo to get an idea of how he felt about this girl disregarding her presence. She watched his face contort in confusion and looked down to see her at his side and then back to the girl.

As he responded, Enzo possessively wrapped his arm around Kaida’s shoulders. “No, my mate is right here.”

Kaida couldn’t help it. An evil smirk played at her lips as she cocked her head sideways innocently. The girl’s face paled as she realized that she just made a huge mistake. The girl gulped and bowed her head as she gathered the menus and led them to their table. Enzo looked around the room briefly before mentioning he would like the one in the corner by the wall-length window. The girl nodded while avoiding eye contact. Once she got them to the table, she put the menus down and said that a Rual would be by shortly.

Enzo pulled out one of the chairs closer to the wall, motioning for Kaida to sit, and then pulled out the chair across from her for himself to sit down with his back to the window. Kaida had no idea why he positioned them the way that he did, but she didn’t want to question it. Once seated, Rual came to the table. He wore the same outfit as the hostess, his dark brown hair was arranged messily over his brown eyes, and he had a sharp square jawline and muscles that almost looked like they would bust open the fabric of his shirt if he wasn’t careful. He flashed them both a smile before introducing himself and asking what they would like to drink. Enzo watched Rual carefully before he said, “Ladies first.” Kaida ordered a glass of water with frozen red raspberries. She noticed that Rual would not look at her eyes or even her face. They were glancing at the wall behind her instead. When Rual looked over at Enzo, he kept his eyes down instead, but his voice was still pretty relaxed. When Enzo said that he would like a glass of water with frozen blueberries, Kaida was slightly shocked. Part of her thought he would end up liking something much more exotic.

Hmm. I wonder what other ways he can surprise me.

The frozen fruit was more than just for taste preferences. Dragon Shifters generally throw off an ample amount of heat. It came from the fire that burned inside of them from their dragon counterpart. With that realization, someone thought of freezing fruit instead of using ice cubes to keep drinks cool. Some people were pickier than others. Kaida tended to use which fruit was requested as a way to tell how people were in day-to-day life. Requesting the common fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, black or red raspberries, or apples could mean that the person could be easy to please, modest, or just liked to live simply. When people requested fruit like pears, pineapples, oranges, or watermelon could mean that they were pickIer than normal, lived life a little more on the expensive side, and tended to try to act as though they didn’t forget that they were a few bad choices away from being lower class. Then there were those who chose star fruit, pineberries, plums, or cherries. These were the ones that knew they were high-class people. The ones that could afford to spend three to four times the amount of money on the lower ended fruits. Generally, these were the ones that looked down on others for not being in their level of class and were glad to show their disdain to even be in the same room as someone in a lower class.

Kaida grew up in one of the most prestigious families in Dragaal and never had to worry about a damn thing. If she wanted one of the more expensive fruits in her drinks, she easily could. Pears were one of her favorite fruits, and she loved the way the water tasted when it was accented with pear juices, but she also knew not everyone was as fortunate, and she was not one to rub it in or gloat.

When Rual brought their waters to the table, it was time to order. It was only lunchtime, so the options were limited. Once again, Enzo stated, “Ladies first,” and Kaida had to choose what she wanted. It took her a few seconds because she had a hard time deciding on one thing because everything sounded so good. She decided on a spiced goat with potato soup and a small salad, trying to not eat a large meal since she did not know what Enzo had planned for the rest of the day. If it was anything while flying, she would rather not have a full stomach. Enzo ordered a thick steak sandwich with all the fixings.

Enzo kept his eyes on Rual the entire time he took their order and even until he was out of sight. Kaida stifled a laugh when she realized what was happening. Enzo’s dragon was making sure that Rual did not touch her, or even look at her, in any way. When it came to Fated Mates, a dragon was one of the most unpredictable counterparts in regards to how possessive it could become.

I’ll have to make sure that I don’t do or say anything to trigger that kind of response from him. It is the first date, after all.

“Well, while we wait… should we get to know one another?” Enzo suggested.

Something else Kaida wouldn’t have expected. Enzo seemed nervous. His hands were sitting on the edge of the table, and his thumbs were rubbing against each other like he couldn’t sit still. Even though Enzo had more dominance than everyone else in this room combined, he would look into her eyes for a brief moment and then look away from them.

Interesting, Kaida thought to herself before she answered him.

“I’d love to! I have to admit, I never thought I would get the chance to sit down and truly get to know Enzo Styrmir. All my life, I dreamed of having this chance. Now I am sitting across from you, and not only are you giving me that chance, but you want to get to know me too. Feels pretty surreal.”

Enzo’s smile nearly reached his ears. “Really? Why is that?”

Kaida scrunched her face, “Don’t you dare play modest with me! You know exactly why that is. You are the Prince of Dragaal! Your title alone causes intrigue. But to a girl like me? Even though I come from one of the five prestigious families in the realm, it’s not like we all played together growing up. I’ve always seen you from afar, but not once was I able to get to actually know you. I could only hear from others about who you are. So, tell me… who is Enzo Styrmir?”

“Quite bold of you, Kaida Hilmir. Instead of being shy and maybe apprehensive like most, you choose to do this head-on and get to the point.”

Kaida tilted her head slightly to the left, wearing a cocky grin, “When I want something, I don’t play games to get it.”

Enzo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Whether it was because he was feeling nervous or something else, Kaida was not sure. Kaida wanted to kick herself for not having her dragon for the second time that day. If she did, she would be able to smell what he could have been feeling and wouldn’t have to guess. Or she might even hear his heart beating inside of his chest and know if it was out of nervousness or maybe even from being aroused.

“Well, how about we tell each other one thing that no one else knows and a fear that we have? Those are two things that people tend to avoid when getting to know one another. How about we break those norms and try something new?”

Kaida didn’t hesitate, “Okay, you first.”

“Okay. I’ll be a gentleman and walk through this dangerous territory first.” Enzo took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. “Something that no one else knows… I like to paint. I’m pretty good at it, too.”

Kaida’s eyes went wide with the omission. “Why is that not something that is shown to the people?! That is an amazing gift to have!”

“You are a prince! You need to be focused on running this damn kingdom! Not making pretty pictures,” Enzo said in a gruff voice as he mimicked his father. “I’m not “allowed” to tell people about this much. It is a ‘royal secret’ if you will.”

Kaida stretched her arm out and placed her hand over his hands, “I am so sorry that you have to hide that. That is a major part of who you are… and you aren’t even allowed to express it properly, are you? He at least lets you paint, right?”

Enzo made a scrunched face, “Not really. I have to make sure he is not within the castle when I paint so he doesn’t see me doing it. That is at least the agreement we have come to so I can continue with my love of art.”

“Well… that will change soon,” Kaida said matter-of-factly.

Enzo smiled in response and then continued, “Now I guess I have to tell you my fear, too.” He took another moment to think of his response. “Funny thing is, I used to have a fear of having to find a wife as a duty to Dragaal, and it would end up with someone I did not connect with. I guess that is no longer a thing to fear.” He took Kaida’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “So, I guess… my actual fear, now, is losing you.”

Kaida’s heart dropped when she heard those words. Nothing in the world would ever make her feel happier than those words…

Then the horrid thought crept up into her head. What if he won’t care about losing me if my dragon never emerges…

“Now it’s your turn.”

Kaida thought about it for a moment, too. Knowing that Enzo truly opened up to her about things that no one else would know about him was incredible. He had to feel exposed with what he admitted. Though she would have to come up with something other than the truth when it came to her fear.

“One thing that no one else knows… Sometimes…” it was difficult for her to share this information. No one truly knew this about her, not even her parents. “Sometimes I feel like, if it wasn’t for the fact that I am from the family I was born into, I wouldn’t be memorable–that the only reason people even want to know me is because of my Hilmir name. I can honestly say when I have a few bad days in a row and don’t want to be around people, no one even seems to check on me.” Kaida found herself looking out the window as tears pooled to the brim of her eyelids. She desperately kept her eyes from closing so they wouldn’t fall down her face as she gathered her courage to say the next piece. “And my fear? I fear when I am no longer here, no one will truly care.”

When the words left her mouth, she realized that was her true fear. That no one would care if, one day, she wasn’t a part of this society anymore. Kaida knew that if her dragon didn’t emerge soon, that chance would skyrocket to the highest possibility for her fate. The worst part of all? That no one would care that it happened… and just move on.

Enzo stood up on the side of the chair that was closest to her and kneeled in front of her. Before he opened his mouth, he grabbed both of her hands in his and gave them a soft kiss before looking into her eyes once more. “I would care. You are my mate, Kaida. Nothing would ever make me not care about you.”

I guess time will only tell with that.