Chapter 10 - Sierra

"He agreed to let you go out," Kairo informs me as I dress for the day.

A spark of gentle excitement rushes through me while I check my reflection in the mirror. Pleased with what I see, I know I'm about to make some heads turn as the resident human on the weredragon island.

There's only one head I'm looking forward to turning, hoping he sprains his neck while he's at it.

"Did it take a lot to convince him?" I ask as I pick a strawberry from the basket.

Kairo shakes her head. "He was the one who offered."

Aha! So, he's trying to get in my good books. Smirking my satisfaction, I know I have him right where I need him to be if I'm going to execute my plan of revenge. Dangling the carrot in front of his face will be a walk in the park if he believes I'm lapping up his kindness.

"How sweet of him," I praise with a twinkle in my eyes. I can see the mischief from the reflection in the depths of Kairo's eyes. She smiles back at me before heading toward the door.

"The boys are playing rugby on the field today," she explains as I follow her out of the bedroom. "We'll have most of the island all to ourselves."

Pausing just outside the door, I take account of the long corridor, marveling at how grand it is. From the high ceilings with lavish crystal chandeliers to the burgundy and navy Persian carpet on the floor, it's almost as if we've walked through a portal into the streets of Morroco.

Considering that the bedroom I've been locked in is styled with Middle-Eastern flair, it seems the castle reels in the styles of different parts of the world. This heightens my excitement to see the rest of the island, especially when we enter the Italian-style kitchen fragrant with herbs and spices.

"It seems my mother is cooking," Kairo giggles as she slinks her arm through mine, leading me through the front door. "I'd let you meet her, but that's something Felix should do."

"Of course," I concede with a nod, even though my heart does a little flutter. Back when I knew Felix in Charlottesville, I always considered meeting his family without knowing that they're a handful of weredragons on an island.

Meeting his mother was something I thought would happen if we took our very serious relationship to the next level. Now, I have to meet her for the sake of being a weredragon's mate, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I haven't decided if I want to be his mate, anyway. I want to make his life hell for the hell he'd put me through when he left.

My overworking mind is calmed when we step out from behind the arched, carved oak door. The intricate depictions of flames and feathers open up to the brightness of the sun-kissed land. It's like the veil from my vision is lifted, seeing through fresh eyes the beauty of nature that stands in front of us.

My jaw drops instantly, and the sight before my eyes is overwhelming. The lush lawn is a bright shade of forest green, with pastel blues and pinks scattered about in the shape of flowers. My confusion is owed to the fact that I've never seen daffodils and sunflowers in those shades.

As if mesmerized, I slip my arm out from Kairo's and reach for a cyan dandelion.

"I'm too afraid to make a wish," I titter, holding the bloom up. "It feels like it'll be answered immediately."

Kairo smiles warmly back at me. "Then make sure it counts," she says, eyes sparkling with the wonder I feel.

I close my eyes and make a wish that the Universe shows me a sign that I'm meant to be here. I've let go of ever wanting to control my life, and if I'm meant to be the weredragon's mate—Felix's mate—then I know the Universe will give me a sign.

My only qualm is that he hurt me before and broke my heart to pieces. But that's something I can take care of myself, even if it's for my own satisfaction.

Puckering my lips, I blow a sturdy breath to send the parachute of fuzzy bristles into the wind. They flitter out into a hundred little feather specks of cyan, joining the wind and reaching further toward the skies,

Kairo takes my arm again to lead me down the cobblestone path toward a bridge that crosses a stream. As we walked ahead, Kairo told me about each building, giving me a little background on some of the monuments and the museum. We walk for miles, soaking in the sun as it lights up the sky on the west coast of North America, warming the Pacific Ocean that meets the shore.

"What's that?" I ask when I glance behind me to find a large steel gate reflecting the sun's rays from where it's tucked into a crevice in the mountain. We'd stopped in our stroll to gaze at the beach waves; this exact spot had drawn my attention.

"That's the dungeon," Kairo explains, then gasps when she realizes we're somewhere we probably shouldn't be.

I can't blame her since the waves were crashing the most beautifully on this end of the island. I'd been the one to suggest this spot, my mind miles away from the trouble caused by the men in my life.

"My father's in there, isn't he?"

She nods bashfully, then reaches for my hand, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"I know you're angry at him, Sierra," Kairo says softly. "I wasn't planning on taking you inside."

I nod slowly, digesting the fact that just behind that large metal door, my dad is being a prisoner there.

I haven't forgiven him for what he's done. Neither have I forgiven Felix for hurting me. It's not like either of them has asked for my forgiveness, so I'll just accept that their karma comes in the form of watching them suffer.

Like watching my father locked in a cage and seeing Felix suffer by my hands.

Speaking of which…

"You mentioned the boys will be playing rugby," I bring up, prompting Kairo to take a look at her wristwatch.

"Yeah, they must have started the game already. Wanna watch?"

I nod, a smirk growing on my lips as I follow Kairo down the parade toward the rugby field.

***

When Kairo said the boys would be playing rugby, I expected to find Felix on the field. I was counting on it, in fact. But as soon as we arrived mid-game, I was disappointed that he was not there.

Watching the male weredragons run around chasing the rugby ball isn't as interesting as I had in mind. I thought I'd get the chance to flaunt my curvy figure in this Summer dress, gaining the attention of a few unsuspecting weredragon males, and have Felix brooding over the confidence boost he'd once given me.

I always hated my skin until his soft caresses and words of praise made me learn how to love my body again. It was a matter of my insecurities deeming me unworthy of acceptance and my dad always picking on me for eating "too much."

Thanks to Felix's extraordinary display of love and acceptance for my figure, I'd grown to accept my curves and voluptuous breasts.

Until it didn't matter what he thought anymore. I learned to love myself and be a bombshell in any shape or size my body chose to be.

It feels pointless right now as I sit perched forward, elbows resting on my knees. The bench is hard and cold, making me wish I hadn't decided to watch the rugby match and explore the rest of the island instead.

"Oh, look!" Kairo perks up, gently tapping my knee. "It's Felix!"

As soon as I hear his name, I straighten up and glance all around the field.

"Where?" I ask as I snap my neck in every possible direction until I see him jogging out from the ingress of the woods and onto the field. "Oh."

Kairo shimmies excitedly beside me when Felix whistles to call one of the players out. She says he loves the sport almost as much as their brother Aragon does. He just wasn't supposed to play today.

His sudden appearance and change of plans from being in a meeting to being out on the field has me mulling over why. I glance around at the empty bleachers because Kairo and I are the only ones watching the game, and I realize why he probably changed his plans when I turn my gaze back to the field.

Felix looks up from the bottom, immediately meeting my eyes while he pulls his t-shirt over his head. It's the first time I've seen him shirtless since my arrival, and holy deliciousness! He sure has stacked on some muscle.

A lot, actually. His broad, chiseled chest tapers down to highly defined abs that flex with the movement of him picking up a rugby vest. Like a sculpture of Adonis himself, the sun's rays hit every indent and bulge of muscle where his creamy skin appears like marble.

I only realized my jaw had dropped when a trickle of drool escaped the corner of my mouth. Frantically pulling myself together, I clear my throat and straighten up to embark on my original plan.

When Felix covers his chest with the rugby vest, I couldn't be more grateful for the lack of distraction. It's almost impossible to think straight when he has his body on display—especially now that he's built differently from what I remember.

When his eyes meet mine again, I calculatedly flit my gaze to the right, where the other males have a break on the bench. I choose one—a brunette with golden skin—and settle my eyes on him while I trace the tip of my tongue across my bottom lip.

That should do it, though I'm too afraid to see Felix's reaction. Instead, I keep my eyes fixed on the brunette for the duration of their break.

I'm forced to look away when the group regathers on the field, this time with Felix joining them. His caramel brows are furrowed, eyes narrowed as he stands at the back of his team.

I can almost smell the irritation rolling off him, which fuels the fire of my desire to go on. Clearing my throat loud enough, it captures his attention when he glances at me just as I get to my feet. That's when I stretch my arms over my head, inflating my chest with enough air to have my breasts peaking from the neckline. Pretending not to be bothered by his merciless ogling of the way the hem of my dress rides up my thighs to expose more skin, I turn my gaze to the brunette player.

When the whistle sounds for the start of the next round, Felix's attention is drawn to the game. It gives me enough time to settle back on the bench and act like I only have eyes for the brunette.

"He's good, isn't he?" Kairo quips when Felix's team scores another try. It's the brunette I'd chosen as collateral who scores the point.

"He is," I admit, though I've hardly been paying attention to the game.

It's my own game I'm more interested in—playing games with Felix and basking in the glory of watching him lose his mind.

"That's Brantley," Kairo goes on with a sigh as she leans forward on her forearms.

It isn't until I see her face that I realize I'm not the only one not paying attention to the game. Her eyes sparkle with wonder as she stares at the brunette male.

Holy crap!

I'd set my sights on the wrong weredragon.

When Felix looks up at the bleachers, he narrows his eyes at me with judgment that sends a shiver down my spine. The heat of embarrassment on my cheeks only adds to the show I'm putting on.

Even if it's a bashful blush, having just realized that Kairo secretly admires the brunette male.

She probably thinks I'm gawking at her brother, so that's good. When the game is over the males of Felix's team celebrate their win, cheering and howling toward the skies.

"Gosh… He's amazing…" Kairo praises longingly as she stares at the male in the crowd of cheerers.

She echoes my sentiments when Felix breaks away from the crowd and jogs toward the bleachers. There's something about his stern shoulders: how each step is calculated as he nears us. When he climbs the first bench, his thigh bulges where he's packed on more muscle, and I imagine what it would feel like to take a seat there…

"Ladies…" Felix greets us, interrupting our little moment of mentally drooling at the men who spark our awareness.

For Kairo, it's the brunette male. For me, it's the male standing in front of me, forcing me to rake my eyes over the way his sweat-drenched vest meets his eyes.

He doesn't seem pleased at all, brows woven tightly as he stares down at me. His irritation is evident, but the way his jaw pulses as he clenches forces me to press my thighs together. The air smells like sweat and sandalwood, making it almost impossible to think straight about how inebriating it is to simply breathe.

The man standing before me is no ordinary man but a weredragon whose presence reminds me of delicate passion. Right now, it looks like he'd use force to get what he wants from me.

I'm not even opposed to it. I would gladly surrender and submit to the power pulsing through the veins in his forearms. I'd take the punishment, the pain he'd inflict, and willingly give myself on my knees for him.

Until I remind myself that he's no stranger to hurting me in other ways. Pleasurable pain, I can handle it. But breaking my heart?

That's a no for me.

"Excuse me," I say, cocking my head to one side to peek behind him. It doesn't help that this only brings my view to his plump ass. "You're blocking the view.

"What view?" he scoffs, placing his hands on his hips, a bulging arm becoming my view.

Gulping hard, it takes all of my strength to remain unbothered by how ridiculously glorious his body is. Is this the sign I wished for when I wished upon the dandelion? He's enticing, I must admit, but so is my need for revenge, which I cannot ignore.

The tension in the air is dense and palpable, but I crane my neck to stare at the field, deliberately pretending as if he's not even here.

That's when he directs his frustration toward his sister. "Have you two been outside all day?"

"Yes, Brother," Kairo replies pensively. "I've been showing Sierra the island. It's been—"

"Have you had lunch?" he cuts in, prompting me to look up to find that the shell of his ear has turned color from his irritation.

"N-no," his sister replies, to which he clicks his tongue.

He glances at me with fury, glinting in his eye, then turns back to his sister and says, "I told you to take care of things, Kai. She needs to eat," he grates through gritted teeth.

Despite how absurd the situation is right now, I can't help but feel moved. Especially when I get to my feet to face him in retaliation, having to crane my neck to look him in the eyes. He's so close, I can almost taste the heady scent rippling off him, the way he's behaving doing something to my core. Does he really care that much that I skipped a meal? Or is he just vexed that I've been ogling another man?

"Hey, that's not fair!" I exclaim, positioning myself between the siblings like a shield for Kairo. "If there's anyone you should be angry with, it's me. She asked me about lunch, and I refused."

His left eye twitches as his chest rises with a huge intake of breath. "You're not to skip any meals, Sierra," he grunts.

"It's not a big deal if I do," I protest.

A growl resounds from his chest, so intimidating that pebbles goosebumps on the flesh of my forearms. It's not because of fear but because of the alarming awareness that pools between my thighs, imagining that sound vibrating on my body.

I never knew Felix to be as gloomy and grumpy as this, and I find myself strangely turned on by what I'm witnessing right now. From the way his jaw clenches to the ruptures of veins pulling taut beneath his flesh, I'm ready to throw myself at his feet.

If I thought I was the one dangling the carrot, he had the whole feast spread out for me. I can't cave. Not now. Not while I haven't fully exacted my revenge.

"As my mate, you cannot skip meals," he says sternly.

My turn. "Good thing I'm not your mate, then," I retort as I lift a hand to lightly brush his chest. It takes every ounce of strength to pretend that feeling the hardness of his defined chest barely tingles my fingertips when it ignites a fire inside me. My words bite at his ego, his lips parting to say something, but his resolve shattered as he stared at me, stunned.

"Come on, Kai," I beckon his sister with a nod. "I wanna see that spot you told me about."