Chapter 13 - Stryder

I gaze at Olivia’s face as she sleeps, a lilting hum falling from her lips like she’s snoring. Except, the sound is sweet, like music to my ears, igniting a need to dance my hand across the pillow and tuck her stray red hairs behind her ear.

With the sun’s rays kissing her cheek, her hair appears like silky copper, the natural highlights amplified by the light. It’s been two nights of absolute bliss, our passionate lovemaking exceeding my expectations.

Sighing, I roll over onto my back and stare at the ceiling when she stirs and sleepily shuffles closer. I chuckle under my breath as she wiggles her way onto my chest, sighing as she falls into a deep sleep with one leg draped over my thighs.

I suddenly have the urge to kiss her forehead where it stands just under my nose, tempting me into the kind of romance I’m not accustomed to. Stifling the unwarranted urge, I turn my face away as if it’ll help. I’m swarmed by the floral scent of her shampoo, her strawberry lip balm, and the very human scent of her flesh itself.

Scents that I’m bathed in after another night full of passion. The kind of passion I’ve never experienced before – not with any of my other Earthly quests.

The trouble is that Olivia Jackson isn’t like the others. On the outside, she doesn’t appear like my usual type, only because I was never meant to just be attracted to her for bodily pleasures. Only after our lips met for the first time did I see her in a different light.

I saw her true beauty, felt magnetized to the soft waves of her red hair, and the way her skin was easily painted by my touch. I felt her react to me as if our bodies spoke a language of their own.

Flitting my eyes to her face as she rests on my chest, my breath is staggered as I exhale cautiously. I don’t want to wake her. But I don’t want to be here right now.

I can feel myself slipping, and it scares me. If I treat this like a casual fling, there’s no need for me to sacrifice my freedom. I’ll still be able to come and go as I want without being weighed down by the foolish notion of fated mates and true love.

But how long can it go on like that?

I frown when those words pop into my mind with my voice, just much, much deeper. It’s as if my inner dragon just separated from me, and posed a question like an individual entity all on its own.

That’s not possible… I think as my frown deepens. The inner dragon and I are one.

Except, when a taunting chuckle in my head rings out, I’m convinced I must be going insane. There’s a distinct disconnection between my inner dragon and my human mind, and it sends panic crawling up my spine.

I can’t be the only one on the island with some kind of illness – even if it’s mental. I’m a Vulkan, the sibling of the Alpha of the Aurora Dragons.

I can’t be going insane.

Troubled by that daunting possibility, I cautiously slip out from underneath Olivia, taking care not to wake her while internally panicking. I quickly get my clothes on, ignoring the hunger rumbling in my belly as I decide to head to the training center instead.

***

Luckily for me, the training center was empty this morning. I have the place all to myself, although the isolation is slightly fearsome.

Closing my eyes, I try willing my dragon to the fore, but it doesn’t come. I frown, opening my eyes to huff out a frustrated breath before closing them again and trying once more.

“Oh, no…” I murmur under my breath, eyelids shooting open with the realization that I might have just become separated from my inner dragon. The dragonspirit inside me isn’t present anymore.

Attempting to shift into dragon form again, I squeeze my eyelids shut.

It’s not something I’ve ever had trouble with in the past. I’ve never had to mentally beg my inner dragon to come out. I simply closed my eyes and thought about being a dragon, invoking it with just a thought. It was more subconscious to shift back and forth. Right now, my conscious mind cannot bring my dragon form to the fore.

A string of curses falls from my lips as I open my eyes again, red, hot frustration crippling my vision. If I can’t unite with my dragonspirit, I’ll have no choice but to visit Doctor Amell to find out what’s wrong with me.

I just can’t seem to grasp what’s happened.

Instinctively, I turn toward the castle, wondering if it has to do with Olivia. Has all our lovemaking done something to me to separate me from my inner dragon?

Was the Council so wrong in choosing my human mate for me?

I always knew that I wasn’t destined for the kind of life my older brothers have with their mates. I just never expected it to be this detrimental to my core being. If Olivia Jackson is bad for me, I’ll have to end things with her and take her back to the mortal world.

It’s that inner knowing that has me entering the simulator. Perhaps, with the threat of a simulated attack, my dragon will be forced to come out from hiding. I’m not yet prepared to let Olivia go – not when it’s proving to be more fun to have her around. A quest I’d finally conquered. It can’t possibly be why my dragon refuses to come forward.

Lugging in deep breaths of frustration, I set the simulator, picking the most difficult level of uncalculated attacks. While I stand between the four metal walls, I curl my fists and prepare myself for what comes next.

When the imaginary black and white simulated dragon appears in front of me, my inner dragon’s senses should already be heightened. I gulp hard when I feel nothing; the dragonspirit is too quiet inside me.

I have to rely solely on my human senses to dodge the dragon’s oncoming attack, quickly lunging across the floor when it blows out hot flames. Though it’s fake, the attacks feel very real. And when I don’t anticipate its next move, I’m knocked square in the nose by the dragon’s curled claw. It unfurls its claw, its sharp nails slicing the skin on my cheek.

“Ow!” I yell, stumbling backward and holding my nose where warm blood oozes into my hand. “Shit…” I look down at my palm, inspecting the blood and inwardly hoping my dragon comes to its senses now that it sees I’m in danger. “Where are you, dragon?”

There’s no time to beg my inner dragon to come forward when the counterfeit dragon flaps its wings and rises in the air, aiming its muzzle at me. At this point, I surrender, accepting my fate of being hideously burned if my dragon decides to play cowardly. Hopefully, the surrender will spring it into action.

I close my eyes, ready to take the fake dragon’s punch, when the siren in the simulator rings out. When I open my eyes again, the lights around the machine are bright, and the simulated dragon is gone.

“What are you doing, Stryder?” Stryker asks from outside the glass wall. He slams a palm on the button outside, which opens the door. With a worried frown contorting his face, he steps onto the metal floor, eyes widening with horror when he notices I’m bleeding. “You look like shit!”

“Probably,” I chuckle nervously, sniffing and feeling droplets of blood falling on the back of my throat.

“What’s gotten into you, Brother?” he asks worriedly, stepping closer. I dodge his outstretched arm, not wanting him to see how bad the damage is.

It’s quite horrible, the stinging pain buzzing through my temples and eardrums.

I’ll probably have to visit Doctor Amell after all.

“Nothing,” I shrug, sniffing again. “I was just…” I can’t tell him my inner dragon is nowhere to be found. It’s too shameful, even if he senses that something is wrong.

“Attempting to fight the simulator in human form?” he chuckles. “That’s quite impressive.”

“It is?” I ask with a confused frown, grunting when my furrowed brows pull the skin on my cheek too taut.

“Yeah. I think your human mate is really doing a number on you,” he teases with amusement flashing in his eyes. “Got you braving the simulator in human form.”

“Well…” I gesture to my face. “... It’s not as easy as I thought it would be.”

“You’re still alive. That counts for something,” he quips with a grin. “What are you doing? Planning on protecting her in the mortal world in your human form?”

I start to shake my head, then stop myself, lamenting over what he just said. Is that what this is? Is my dragon remaining in the shadows to force me into cooperation? To force me to protect Olivia without its help?

That would explain the disconnect. After all, it was the dragon who saved her and refused to leave her, wanting desperately to protect her at all costs. It knows that she’s my mate, and wouldn’t allow harm to come to her.

On the other hand, my human, governed by bodily desires, can’t let go of my need for freedom.

But this is a theory I have to test.

“Excuse me, Stryker,” I say as I pass him and head out of the simulator. “There’s something I need to do.”

“I was wondering if you’d join me for a drink or two later,” Stryker calls from behind me.

“Sorry, Stryker, not today,” I toss over my shoulder.

“Not even in the mortal world?”

When I turn, I find my brother smiling coyly at me. “No. Not even in the mortal world,” I decline politely.

As I turn to leave, I notice how Stryker's chest swells with pride. The feeling is one he shares with me, through the special connection we have as twins. The feeling eases the disappointment of not being able to shift into dragon form. It also comes as reassurance, when I'd been convinced that my twin brother was disappointed in me.

Smiling to myself, my resolve feels refueled as I head up the stone path leading to the castle. I have to do this on my own – to test a theory, I suspect.

“Olivia…” I call out as I walk into the bedroom. She's out of bed already, nowhere to be seen. When she pops her head out of the bathroom doorway, the smile she throws me is almost disarming.

“Will you join me on the balcony?” I ask, proceeding to the glass sliding door.

“Er--what's going on?” she asks hesitantly from behind but follows me out anyway.

“Nothing,” I shrug, taking a deep breath before turning to her. She wears a look of deep concern that furrows her brows, matching the worry I've had all morning.

Then she notices the scratches on my face and gasps. “What happened to you?” She reaches out and touches my cheek, and I wince.

“It's nothing,” I assure her, but she isn't convinced.

She clicks her tongue and comes closer to inspect the damage. “Did you get into a fight?”

Her concern for me warms my heart, tingling my toes with the urge to kick my feet like I'm giddy.

Gods… What has become of me? Why am I changing so much?

I take her hand and kiss her inner wrist, the sweet gesture feeling so natural that it lifts my lips into a smile. I place my hands on her shoulders, watching her worry subside as she smiles sheepishly.

“I'm going to kiss you,” I tell her.

“Okay…” she frowns again but closes her eyes and parts her lips.

“Don't be frightened,” I warn, stepping closer until her warm breath fans my lips.

“Why would I–”

I hush her when I crush my lips to hers, my eyes closed as I savor the sweetness of the kiss as she swoons and melts into my embrace. Electric awareness courses through me, igniting every fiber in my being and filling me with a gallant sense of power.

The taunting chuckle of my dragonspirit fades into the recesses of my mind, turning into a chuffed scoff as if to tell me, “I told you so.”

As I tilt my face and deepen the kiss, my tongue exploring the warm depths of Olivia's sweet mouth, I feel my shoulder blades tingle. Reunited with my inner dragon once again, I'm able to invoke it without much thought. It's as simple as breathing again, as simple as holding Olivia in my embrace and feeling her melt in my arms to the melody of our passionate kiss.

This is what the inner dragon wanted me to see. It wanted me to persist in protecting my human mate even without the dragonspirit. It wanted me to know that it was more than just the dragonspirit that wanted to protect her.

I, too, as Stryder Vulkan in my human form, would do anything to ensure that her life wasn't in danger. Without blaming my inner dragon, who could easily disconnect from me if we weren't on the same page.

“ I understand…” I internally relent, keeping my lips on Olivia's. As the kiss turns more passionate, so does the strength of my dragon, sprouting my wings without having to force it forward. I smile on the kiss, the torrent of distending wings behind me lost in the passion of our lips. I pull Olivia closer, hugging her tightly to my chest as I lift us off the balcony.

She giggles when she pulls away, realizing we're miles from the ground.

“What are you doing?” she titters, staring at the island down below as she wraps her arms around my neck.

“I'm taking you back to the mountain,” I say, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “This time, you're not gonna fall.”

“If I do, you'll just catch me,” she giggles, eyes sparkling with joy when she looks at me.

“Always,” I promise – a solemn oath I plan on sticking with for eternity. Now I understand that the human means more to me than a simple quest. I was foolish enough to think she was just another fling. Until my dragon disappeared to knock some sense into me.

She is my peace. She is my strength. She is the human I'm meant to have children with for a reason. It might not be love I'll ever be able to feel, but protecting her makes me a better dragon.