A Dragon's Heart

7.

TIFFANY.

‘Nurayn,

Day six of being away from you, and three days since I last sent you a letter. At this point, saying I miss you is an understatement. I burn with the need of you. In every way.

Not being able to send you letters and shai was hard for me, but things over here have become too serious, and I couldn’t send a letter even if I wanted to. Sincere apologies for my silence in those few days, and this is me, asking yet again, that you please understand and be patient. I know this is a lot to ask and you have many questions, but rest assured that all will be answered soon. I will be back home soon before you know it.

Another message from Sameer: ‘My scales have fallen off these days more than they did in the past years when I shed them. Do you perhaps know why, dear wife? It is in preparation for shedding my entire self to you when I see you next, so you can properly feel the burn of my love. Of my want. I am going to lick you clean once I am home.’

If you ask me, I’d say that Sameer likes to exaggerate sometimes. But right now, I am a hundred percent sure he meant every single word. Being away from you does things to this man. Things I can only explain when I see you soon.

I wonder if I’ll have you burn for me when I finally touch you…

Love and Kisses,

Your Husband;

Bilal.’

My thighs hurt. My chest burned with the desperate urge to drink water, but I didn’t stop. I promised myself and Mina that I would push harder today. Today, I was going to circle the training field six times. I had to beat my record of making it to round three before I gave up four days ago.

‘You know, I have a feeling that this dragon… Sameer, is all talk and no action,’ Jay said hesitantly, as I fought to find my breath. I’d only made it to three laps, still had three more to go. I glanced to my side to see Mina calm and collected, running beside me as though it was nothing.

‘Whether they are both all talk with no action, I don’t care anymore,’ I replied quietly.

I was still angry, still seething at the silence from Bilal. After the first letter he sent, he sent another one the following day and hinted at sending more. But then he went radio silent. I hated that I waited for his letters every day, for a part of him to come to me, yet nothing. For three days, I got nothing, until yesterday. I was so angry that I left the letter as it was until this morning when my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to take a look. After all, he had no idea when or how I read the letters. Which was totally fine.

Today was the seventh day of his absence. And I was left wondering if he’d come back today like he promised, or not. I didn’t want to hope for too much and get disappointed, so I simply willed my mind not to think about him or the possibility of his return today.

Today was just a normal day, like every day had been since he’d left. A day spent with Mina trying many things and working on conditioning myself to start training. It was a normal day. Nothing so special.

Jay scoffed. ‘You can lie to anyone but me, Tiffy. And you know it.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, you can keep telling yourself that today is not special, but you and I both know it is. That hope, that possibility that he may return today already makes it different; that, and the fact that you are almost making it to the fourth round, which is damn exciting!’

Yes, it was! And yes, there was that burning hope at the possibility of his return. But I didn’t have to admit it. Heck, I did not wish to admit it, so I kept quiet and ignored Jay, fully focusing on my run.

And just like that, my treacherous mind drifted to the letter from yesterday, my mind blanking for a moment as an image of me wrapped in his embrace materialized, causing me to shiver under the already blazing sun. It was just noon, for goodness’s sake! And yet, the sun felt like it had been out for hours and was on the hunt for human flesh.

I wonder if a touch from Bilal or Sameer would burn as hot as the sun, or if…

“Are you even listening to me?” Mina’s voice floated through, breaking through my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I laughed, but it sounded more like a wheeze than an actual laugh. I didn’t think I’d be able to move for days! Who was I kidding? Trying to train and fight with a weapon when running, in itself, was a chore?

But I was not giving up. I was going to work hard to condition my body for all this, and learn to fight with a spear. This body of mine was going to endure it all, because who said a plus-sized woman couldn’t and shouldn’t learn to fight with a weapon?

‘I love it whenever that shot of confidence detonates itself! I love a confident queen!’ Jay cheered, and I sniggered.

“One more round and you’ll beat your record,” Mina said from beside me. She wasn’t panting like I was, but we were both soaked in sweat. “Now, tell me the lightest weapon we have in the armory,” she asked.

I racked my brain, but I couldn’t remember any of those lessons from a few days ago with the pounding in my head and dried throat.

“I can’t talk and run, Mina… pick one,” I grumbled.

She laughed, “That is fair. But you’ll have to talk and run soon. It is all part of conditioning yourself. I am proud of you for pushing today. Five rounds done, one last one to go!” she smiled, and the encouragement was all I needed.

It was a hassle finding me training gear like hers. Black wide pants that tighten at the end, paired with a top that stopped at the abdomen, leaving my belly button exposed. Unlike Yasmina, who had her hair tucked into a shawl, though, I left my hair open, tied into a low bun. I needed clothes I was comfortable in. I still hadn’t gotten used to their clothing, especially the shawl over the hair. Back home, we were used to tying headgears, mostly to cover just our hair, or use it to style, unlike here where the shawl covered my neck and even my bosom. The heat wasn’t favorable, which made it hard to endure wearing the shawl every time.

Yasmina did remove hers when we were alone in our room, but every time we stepped out, she covered up. I wondered if I would ever get…

“Are you thinking about the letter from my brother and swooning? Or are you just missing him on a whole different level?” Her voice broke through my thoughts once more.

I laughed. “He wishes! He is yet to make me swoon, and I doubt he will anytime soon,” I answered.

‘Liar!’ Jay cackled.

‘Shut up!’ I grumbled.

“Is that so? I will have to tell him to up his game then. He needs to sweep you off your feet!”

“I can’t wait to see him try,” I answered, grateful that we were finally approaching the finishing line.

Yasmina knew about the letters Bilal sent, and she found it to be romantic. Yet, she still assumed I knew why he had left, and that we were on good terms, so I left it at that. She never asked to read the letters, though, and I never offered her to. If there was one thing I’d noticed about Yasmina, it was that she respects privacy, which was something I cherished a lot.

“I miss Jaddah and her shai,” she sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love being with you. But this is the longest I have been away from Jaddah.”

Jaddah hadn't returned since she left that first day, and somehow, I was grateful for it. The woman didn’t seem to like me, and I was dealing with too much to worry over her.

I crashed to the ground with a ragged breath, my chest rising and falling as I struggled to regulate my breathing.

“You did it!” Yasmina clapped as she stood above me. “I am proud of you, Tiffy!!!”

I simply nodded, closing my eyes as the scorching sun lapped at me with its hot rays.

I did it!!!

“Here,” she handed me a water pouch. I sat up, grabbed the pouch and downed a reasonable amount of water, sucking in a deep breath as it steadied.

“Nothing beats water. Ever!” I groaned, falling back on the ground.

“Still want to wash your hair?” Mina asked.

“Absolutely! I need shampoo and deep conditioning as well. The waves need to be protected.”

Yasmina pulled her shawl away, exposing her thick curls. “I oil mine with coconut oil every other day. It’s hard maintaining hair this long sometimes.”

“I agree,” I nodded. “Mine isn’t as thick as yours, but I struggle with maintaining it.”

“I can help you wash it if you want,” she offered.

I sat up with a smile. “You will?”

“If you want me.”

“Of course I do!”

Soon, we were back inside the castle, and Samirah had already prepared the water and set up the place. We’d wash my hair in the bathroom, so I could easily take my bath and wash off all the sweat from running.

I grabbed my moringa shampoo and conditioner and stepped into the bathroom. Thankfully, I had arrived at the empire with my essentials like hair products, makeup, and skincare, and they were already at the castle when I got here. My only mistake was not bringing more clothes.

“So? How are we doing this? I can’t remember the last time someone washed my hair.”

“You sit here,” she pointed at the chair positioned behind a golden wash basin, “And I’ll stand behind and wash it for you. You just have to tell me if I am doing it too fast or too hard.”

“Noted!” I smiled, taking my seat. I had a big white towel wrapped around my body. Once we were done with the hair, I just slipped it off to take my bath. Finally settled, Mina got to work.

“Back at home, I apply ghea on my hair for at least three hours. Sometimes, I mix it with egg yolk and some honey. It softens the hair even more and the waves become more defined.”

“Oh, I use that combination too, just without the ghea. But I mix egg yolks, honey, and sometimes I use rice water as well.”

“There were a few times I wished I was bald,” I chuckled as Mina’s fingers threaded into my hair, massaging and rubbing. “Growing up, this was the moment I bonded with my dad the most. He loved washing my hair and braiding it into fours. I miss him,” I mumbled, and when Mina didn't answer, I continued.

“There were days I wondered if my life would have been different if he was still alive. Maybe my mother wouldn’t have remarried and I wouldn’t have been sold. But that means I wouldn’t have met Natasha, which all comes down to the fact that I may have never met your brother.” This was the first time I was voicing out such thoughts, and they were scary to even consider. Would I have liked it had I not met Bilal?

‘Uh-huh,’ Jay tooted, ‘don’t go there. Let’s not imagine a scenario where our mate isn’t in the picture. Although I may be angry at him, I cannot imagine a life without him and his letters. I want to be loved too, Tiffy. I want to matter to someone.’ Her voice was quiet. Sad. and one could easily hear the yearning undertone in it.

She craved love, just like I did. Yet, I was not sure our mate could give us that just yet.

“Have you ever felt strongly towards someone, Mina?” I asked.

No response, but the hands in my hair were still there, massaging and washing.

“Mina?”

“She’s not here,” came his husky voice that had been ingrained in my brain forever. I yelped as I shot up, almost stumbling over the basin with the water.

Strong arms caught me from behind, pulling me flush to him. My back pressed to his chest as he wrapped both arms securely around me.

“Easy there, Nurayn. It's just me,” he whispered into my ears.

But how does that make any sense? One moment I was with Yasmina and now him? How had I missed the shift in the air? The scent of him that was all over me now? He smelled of smoke and citrus with a touch of musk and oud. A combination so dangerous for my nostrils.

‘I can’t breathe, Tiffy. Oh my! Oh my,’ Jay paced inside my head, panting.

I pushed away from him so I could take a look, to be sure if it was really him here with me, or if my imagination was playing a cruel game with me. But as I moved, without him fighting me on that, my towel decided it was the right moment to slip off my body, leaving me bare before my mate, my back still turned to him.

I cussed and groaned; the towel soaked already from the water littering the bathroom floor. Water dripping down my face and body from my hair made this even more of a chaotic comedy scene. I couldn't turn like this and face him now, could I?

But before I could take a step away from him, he grabbed my hand, turned me around and pulled me into his chest, twined a hand into my wet soapy hair, cradling my head in his palm. He curved around me, as though protecting me from something, and I stood there, unable to move or fathom what was going on. Except for his drugging smoke and citrus scent, the heady smell of musk and oud, nothing was making sense anymore. Besides, were my senses high or did he truly have four different scents?

Then he dipped his head down, his mouth covering mine in a searing kiss. His hand holding my head moved to grip my jaw, leaving the other one still in my hair as he devoured me. He ate me with kisses, his hard mouth demanding and sucking, until I was a shaking mess. Even more so unnerving was the inaudible noises coming from his throat. It was like he couldn't control himself. Stop himself.

‘I could die a happy wolf right now,’ Jay moaned.

I was in heaven, floating between everything and nothingness. My fingers clenched the front of his shirt. Or thobe. Or whatever it was he wore. My whole body was throbbing, aching, and I was a panting, dizzy mess, with my senses fully overridden by his scent.

He pulled away, breathing roughly, and muttered under his panty-soaking voice.

“Hello, Nurayn.” His eyes held mine, the intense gaze causing a tiny wreck in my stomach. "Aftaqiduk (I miss you)," he added.

Then he was back kissing me. This time, it was more fierce than before. And I didn't know if to stop him now, or just accept it.