28. Jaiyana

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

JAIYANA

M y last evening of training ended with Drama Llama patting my head and telling me I was going to be great while stress-sweating through her robes. I clasped my hands together at my chest, popped up a back leg, and assured her Tyson's water thing would be amazing… or at least squeaked the sentiment.

Maybe it's better you can't talk.

Probably.

Tyson whisked me off my feet and continued to explain the main sporting event on the island which somehow didn't involve their dragons. It blew my mind. No one on this island seemed to spend time in their beast form. Tyson was a massive fucking fire dragon, and the only way to relight his dragon's elemental fire was while human?

Bull shit.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Despite the risk of losing it while flying, I pulled it out. Another picture of a cat photoshopped into food appeared on my screen. Sister Abby didn't share much personal information, but her meme game was on point.

I expected Tyson to fly us to his fire city. Instead, we landed in a clearing between elemental territories. He'd set out a gold blanket covered in finger foods. Candles flickered, and roses peeked out between plates. A small waterfall trickled at our feet while the stars twinkled around an almost full moon.

My breath caught in my throat. I wasn't a woman prone to romantic gestures, but this was fit for a queen… and Tyson set it up for me. My insides melted, along with my panties and part of my rational mind.

I couldn't help myself. I took a picture of the setup and sent it to Sister Abby. That's what girlfriends were for, right?

Tyson held out his hand and guided me to the blanket. The action was absurd and over the top. I ate it up like I was still pretending to be Betty. Except now I was me, and all of this was complicated.

I hadn't tested my theory: I needed his kiss to break another piece of the curse. But we didn't have the just friends agreement I made with Rehan. Even if we did, as often as I wanted to kiss Tyson, I wanted to slap his infuriating ass.

"I'm a good cook," Tyson smirked, hand-feeding me another meat-filled pastry he'd shaped into little flames. "And happy you're not a vegan."

My taste buds exploded with rich spices, lamb, and apricots. I'm pretty sure I drooled. Fuck me. Why did he have to be a fantastic chef? And where the hell did he get lamb? I spotted a cow farm, but it was a bit hot for sheep in the tropics.

Focus, Jay! You have a hot dragon prince hand-feeding you. No one gives a sheep.

Ha, gives a sheep.

"You can ignore me all you want," Tyson said, bumping my shoulder with his and pulling me to the present. "But my mom always said the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. Based on your facial expression, she was right."

I bit my bottom lip and wiggled my eyebrows, grabbing my phone.

Jay: I already knew you were a good cook and a vegan specialist.

He shrugged. "It's not my fault your paperwork was wrong."

I frowned, my good mood cutting off with a snap.

Now, you're definitely not kissing him.

How did you guess?

Tyson topped off our scotches. "It doesn't matter. That's over, and we're an item. I'll fix everything. Once I have my fire back, I'll challenge Rehan for you. Once I officially beat his arse, I'll fix everything."

I frowned.

Jay: It's not that simple.

Tyson ran his hand over his face. "It never is, Wiggles. But I've got to start somewhere. I know that better than most." He ducked his head as if embarrassed. "Most of my childhood is a blur of training. I was a late bloomer and a sensitive kid – too sensitive. My sire made sure I understood the consequences."

I'd been around long enough to read between the lines. His dad abused him. Probably beat the poor kid every time he was empathetic instead of cruel. My blood boiled.

"It's actions," Tyson continued, unaware of my anger. "Not feelings, which keep our world together."

His last sentence made my heart hurt. I forced myself to breathe. I knew all too well the ideals forced onto us by others and how inescapable they felt. I squeezed Tyson's ankle, never wishing I had a voice more than right now.

‘You can talk to me. I'm here for you.' Despite the words coming out as a series of low squeaks, Tyson scooted next to me. I wrapped his firm body in my arms, and he lay his head against my chest. I swear our heartbeats fell into sync. He trembled once before suddenly twisting out of my grip and placing one hand on my chest, forcing me to lay back.

That stupid fear, tinged with inappropriate sexual tension, washed across my body. Instead of anything sexual, the fire prince surprised me by lying next to me and pointing at the twinkling star-filled sky. "I don't know any of these, but I can make up some names if you like?"

I forced my sex drive to simmer down and turned my head, seeing the Universe reflected in Tyson's gaze—the name of every constellation on the tip of my tongue.

Don't ruin this moment.

My heart thudded. He's a kid, still figuring his life out. What am I doing?

Damn it, Jay.

I turned back to the stars. There's an app for this.

There is most definitely no app to fix you.

Ignoring my inner voice, I sat up just enough to pull out my phone. In seconds, I had an app download which contained every star fact I'd painstakingly learned over my hundreds of years alive. I didn't know how I felt about that, but change happened. All I could do was make peace with it.

With no concept of my sinking mood, Tyson scooted close to me. His silk shirt pressed into my bare arm. Our fingers brushed as he took my phone from me and pointed it at a line of stars. His voice rumbled between us as he read about ‘the summer triangle.'

Despite myself, I loved it. The moment, his voice, the night sky. A message from Rehan popped up, the electronic notification as piercing as the words now halting Tyson's reading.

Rehan: Thinking about you. I'll beat the fire prick's face in if he's touched what's mine.

Tyson scoffed. "He can try."

A smile pulled at my cheeks, pulling me out of my downward spiral. I might not want me, but these two thought they did. And spell or not, that felt good. Instead of addressing either dragon, I opened our group chat.

Jay: Why can't the two of you get along?

"He's a water dragon," Tyson growled.

I pointed to my phone, refusing to engage with him.

Rehan: He's a fire dragon who tried to force you. He marked you against your will.

I started to double-check that Rehan had sent his message to the group chat, but Tyson's furious typing assured me he had.

Tyson: Fecking Sea Sponge!!

Tyson: And you marked her during the trial, against the rules. She didn't even know what you'd done to her!!! How's that asking first?!?!

I chewed on my lower lip and waited.

Rehan: It wasn't, but I knew she was my mate. And Jay felt it, too. I didn't need to ask.

Tyson: Then you know exactly how I felt after the social, you fecking muppet.

Tyson swallowed and rolled, so he gazed down at me instead of the stars. Both our phones plinked. The fire dragon caged me against the ground with his arms, ignoring the notification. "I wouldn't take back what I did, but I regret how I did it." His forehead wrinkled. "I don't have answers. But I know you can make anything happen if you work hard enough."

I bit my lips together and met his gaze.

Everyone has a dragon inside them.

Despite his missing fire magic, flames danced behind his eyes. He'd spent the last four days telling me about his life. How hard he worked to be the fire dragon his father and people needed. It broke my heart, but I couldn't be the happy ending he envisioned for himself.

I pushed him off me and picked up my phone, switching it to our one-on-one chat.

Jay: Working hard will not regrow my uterus. No spell will make my body produce eggs or give technology the ability to extract my DNA.

Jay: Even if there was, I don't want kids.

Jay: And I don't have to justify that.

I looked up from my phone and grabbed his chin so he couldn't look away. His smooth skin felt like marble under my fingers. He grimaced before pulling away and rereading my message. Guilt churned in my gut. I shouldn't be playing date. I should be figuring out how to free him.

Jay: How about we call it a night?

Tyson narrowed his eyes before swiping his screen to type.

My group chat plinked.

Tyson: Fuck our deal. Wiggles stole my time by messaging you. If you can find us, you can have her back.

I blinked in confusion. I tried to ask ‘what,' but all that came out was a squeak.

Tyson grinned. "Call it a night? What are you, an old lady?"

I wrinkled my nose, technically…

"Feck your curfew and whatever else." Tyson pulled me to my feet and spun me. "Let's dance with danger. Or, more specifically, a pissed-off water dragon." He laughed and pointed us toward the dark forest.

My blood sang, erasing my guilt. Tyson's joy and the thrill of being hunted tingled every fiber of my being.