A Dragon's Heart

4.

I had never had it easy. From the death of my father, to my mother remarrying. Then to my pig of a stepfather wanting me, and being the jerk that he was, ending up selling me because I refused his advances. And of course that could not be the end of my suffering because what kind of man buys another one? Not the loving one, that’s for sure. So it shouldn’t have come out as a surprise when the eldest son of my ‘buyer’ almost r***d me because he had decided I was a possession, willing or not, to use as he pleased. And now this whole Bilal mess. Who the hell had I offended and what could I do to apologize?

‘This is not about you, Tiffy. It is about the losers in your life. You did nothing to anyone. You are the sweetest, most amazing woman I have ever known! You thought the worst was behind you, but clearly it isn’t. That doesn’t mean you won’t get through whatever this is,’ Jay told me with a gentle voice. ‘Especially because you have me by your side to kick their butts if the need ever arises.’

I smiled a little. ‘You are awesome, Jay.’

‘As are you, Tiffy. As are you. A bit annoying sometimes, but you’re okay.’

‘Oh, so I am the annoying one?’

‘Duh! Everyone knows that. I am the coolest version of your annoying self.’

I chuckled, and Yasmina turned to face me. ‘Whatever makes you feel better, Jay.’

Then I smiled at Yasmina and said, “Sorry, just having a moment with my wolf.”

She suddenly gushed. “I am not known to hold back, but I have held back since you got here because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. But you are so beautiful, Ukty,” she added.

If I could blush, I am sure I would have. Regardless though, I ducked my head shyly and simply smiled. While I may have always been confident with my weight, there were still a few times I wondered just how many people whispered behind my back or called me an overweight potato like they did back at the Ngunli pack when I was younger. Most may not have said it to my face, but I was sure they had behind my back.

Arriving in the dragon empire had more than shaken the confidence I had built about my physique. Seeing women, slim and petite women, constantly gawking at my mate and swooning over his albeit rare nods at them had me more conscious of my body than ever. I had been questioning myself since the moment I had recognized Bilal as my mate and even more so after his sudden departure.

“Your kind words warm my heart, Yasmina. You are so gorgeous yourself. I remember thinking that you could blind someone with your radiant smile, the first time I saw you.”

She threw her head back and laughed hard. “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever told me, Ukty.”

“Nothing but the truth,” I winked at her. “Although, It feels awkward every time you call me that. How about you just call me Tiff like everyone does?”

“Ukty means sister, and I call you that as a sign of respect since you are married to my elder brother. Although I don’t think you are very much older than I am. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t mind. I turned twenty-three last month,” I answered.

“I am twenty-five!” she clapped her hands. “It is called the ripe age here. The perfect time to bear children. But as you can see, I have no mate yet, nor a suitor, so there’s that.”

“See, all the more reason to call me Tiff. I will be more comfortable that way. And don’t worry, I am sure the lucky man will find you soon.”

“What if I am doomed not to ever find one?” She said with a small laugh. But it wasn’t just a laugh, there was more to it. “Forget I said that. How about I call you Tiffy? And you call me Mina like Akhi does?”

Okay, so we are forgetting. I won’t pry.

‘What? No! I like Yasmina. I really do. But I am the only one allowed to call you Tiffy and no one else!’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Says who?’

‘Don’t you dare agree or I am going to pace in your head all night and deny you a good night’s rest!’

‘Not that I’d probably have a good rest as it is. So you are welcome to pace around all night long!’

Before she could say anything more, I shifted my attention back to Yasmina and smiled. “Deal! My wolf is the only one that calls me Tiffy.”

“Your wolf and I can be your best buddies then!”

‘T for thanks, Yasmina, but I am very capable of being her one and only best buddy!’

I snickered. ‘You wish you were!’

“I wish I was a shifter too,” Yasmina suddenly said.

“Sorry?”

“I mean, I wish I could shapeshift into my dragon. But alas, I do not belong to a clan like that.”

“I find the idea of having your dragons with you so cool! I’ve never seen anything like that until now. Is your dragon always close to you as well?”

“Always!” she said with a click of her finger, and a beautiful dragon materialized beside her. It was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, no offense to Jay, but nothing could beat this gorgeous creature with her dark deep eyes, her snow white scales and the large wings with a tint of gold at the edges. Pure perfection.

“Whoa!” I covered my mouth quickly, my eyes never leaving the dragon.

“She’s magnificent, isn’t she?”

“Absolutely! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!”

‘Excuse you, woman, I am right here and I am absolutely gorgeous!’ Jay whined, shaking her dirty brown silky fur.

‘Stop interrupting me!’ I hissed.

“And she’s just as deadly, let me tell you!” Yasmina explained. “Her name is Sabrina. I call her Rina for short.”

“Her name is as beautiful as her. I want to pet her, but I’m scared.”

Yasmina laughed. “I think there’s only one dragon you’d be brave enough to pet, and that is Sameer.”

“Sameer?” I asked, furrowing my brows.

“Akhi’s dragon? You’ve met him, right?”

I swallowed tightly. How was I supposed to tell her that the first time I met the dragon was last night? That he licked my face and left with Bilal on his back?

Most times when Bilal visited back at Zambele, I didn't see the dragon. He must have noticed how scared I was of it the first time he came with it so he stopped. And I appreciated it, because I needed time to get used to having a dragon mate. So I pasted a smile that didn’t reach my heart and nodded.

“Of course I did. I could pet him because we are mates and I am sure it wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. Right?” I asked, searching her face for clarification.

“Absolutely!” she answered, petting her dragon. “Rina wouldn’t hurt you either, but she needs time to bond with you.” Then she paused, clapped her hands excitedly and took my shoulders. “I can’t wait for you to get your hatchling!”

“Hatchling?”

“Yes! Your dragon! The one you’ll groom. Doesn’t it sound exciting? I’m sure Akhi already explained all of that to you.”

I was supposed to get a dragon? Me? Why? And why hadn’t Bilal said a word about this? I couldn’t help the small telltale of anger that rose from my chest. I didn’t want to hate him, I really wanted to give him a chance to explain himself. I was trying very hard not to draw conclusions on my own… but how was I expected to react? Throw him under the proverbial bus in front of his sister and explain that I was completely clueless because my husband has left my side the moment I arrived here? Or the alternative, maybe? Lying through my teeth until he got here in a week.

Thanks for the options, mate.

This just shows how unimportant I am to you.

Jay gave me a little nudge. ‘But you are to me. And we will always have each other. I have never left your side, and I never will.’

I swallowed hard, fighting the stinging tears away and plastered yet another one of my fake smiles. I had gotten so good at this in just a single day!

“Of course!”

Yasmina nodded, snapped her fingers and her dragon disappeared.

“Come, there is one last place I want to show you in the castle. It’s my favorite spot!” She linked her arm with mine and dragged me with her.

We raced through the courtyard and hallways, giggling until we got to what looked like the beginning of the woods. Tall trees stood, beckoning us further. When I first arrived, I wondered what trees survived the deserts. All around were mostly date trees. Yasmina led me through the trees, and after what felt like an eternity of winding paths, we came to a large clearing, which looked like a training ground.

There were wooden dummies and practice weapons of different sizes organized on a large concrete slab.

‘Woah,’ Jay gasped, voicing my inner thoughts.

“This is incredible,” I breathed, my voice filled with wonder.

Yasmina grinned at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Welcome to my training ground,” she said. “This is my favorite place to be. I love training and fighting, Akhi doesn’t approve, but that doesn’t stop me.”

“Why doesn’t he?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

Yasmina shrugged as she picked up a crossbow. “Not that he doesn’t, but the culture here is different. A woman is considered too frail to fight. I don’t think he completely agrees, but at the same time, he knows I train and never stopped me.”

“Hmm, I would love to train, too,” I said, voicing my interest. “Would you mind teaching me?”

“Of course!” She clapped her hands excitedly. She seemed to be doing that a lot! “I would totally love to train with you! And since I will be here for a while until he returns, we can start soon. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?”

“Perfect!” I said with a smile, walking around and touching all the weapons that were on display. My body was already buzzing with excitement at the prospect of learning how to fight. I hoped I was a fast learner because, depending on his answer, maybe I would have to kick his ass on his return. I picked up a two headed spear and turned it around, feeling its weight.

“I would love to learn how to use this!”

Yasmina’s eyes widened. “A spear?”

I nodded. “Is something wrong with that?”

She giggled. “Of course not! You just keep surprising me and now I understand why I like you so much. You are as unconventional as I am. I don't think either of us cares about following what social norms say we need to do.”

“You might say that,” I said with a smile, still staring at the spear. “To some extent, I think I do not care.”

“Makes two of us!” she replied. A moment of silence stretched before she broke it. “Is it true that you have things in your city where you can call people no matter where they are? So instead of sending letters, you just pick it up, and you can hear the person's voice?” Her voice held a tinge of awe.

‘A cell phone would be really useful right now,’ Jay groaned. ‘Then, we could actually reach your husband and demand he explains what the hell he was doing.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Don’t be dramatic, Jay.’

‘Oh, but I’m not.’

I chose to ignore her and turned my attention to Yasmina after setting the spear down.

“Yes, it’s true. We have these small devices called cell phones that allow us to communicate with anyone, anywhere, as long as we have a signal.”

Yasmina’s eyes widened with wonder.

“That sounds amazing. What else do you have in your city?”

“Well, in my city, we have tall buildings made of glass and steel that stretch towards the sky. There are bustling streets filled with cars and buses, and people rushing around with places to go and things to do.”

Yasmina listened intently, her face full of concentration. “It sounds so different from here. Do you do anything for fun?”

“Oh, there are so many things to do! We have movie theaters where we can watch films on a big screen and parks where we can relax and enjoy nature. There are also restaurants serving food from all over the world so that you can try dishes from different cultures.”

Yasmina gasped and chuckled. “That sounds incredible. I've never been anywhere like that before. We do have something similar to a restaurant here as well. I will show it to you on market day.”

I smiled. “Then you should definitely come visit sometime. Maybe whenever I am going for a visit, you can tag along. I’ll show you around.”

She nodded eagerly. “I would love that. Thank you, Tiffy.”

“You girls are still out here,” a voice came from behind us. I turned around to be met with Jaddah's presence. For a second, I had forgotten she could speak with the way she had been scowling at me.

“Yes, Jaddah,” Yasmina responded.

She ushered us out of the woods, and we followed her back to the castle.

“Won’t you stop training like a man?” she scolded as we walked behind her.

“There’s nothing wrong with training. Even Tiffy is interested.”

Jaddah let out a grunt as she turned to face us, disappointment visible in her eyes. I’m sure she wished Yasmina engaged more in traditional embroidery than she did fighting.

I wanted to speak up, but I bit down on my tongue and decided to say nothing.

Jaddah sighed and started speaking again. “Since you’re staying here with her until he gets back, Yasmina, I’ll be going back to my castle.”

Yasmina and I bid her farewell as she left. I was about to ask Yasmina if Jaddah was always like that, but I thought against it. No need in stirring up drama on my second day officially being in the family. Maybe she just needed to warm up to me, at this point who knew. Hopefully, I didn’t have to see her again for a while. I knew she’s their grandmother, but she wasn’t being very grandmotherly, whatever that meant.

‘Definitely not grandmotherly enough,’ Jay agreed, swishing her tail side to side in annoyance.