Author: Alyse Zaftig
Category: Paranormal
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/32470_159
That’s how we ended up walking out to town in broad daylight, a time I’d rarely been seen among all the townsfolk of Bridge of Orchy.
There were plenty of stares, and why wouldn’t there be? Half of the elders that came streaming down the front steps of the church once it let out were all watching me with odd surprise. If I had to guess, it was because the last time I’d dare set a foot in town was over twenty years ago and I hadn’t aged a day past some time in 1933.…
Ella pretended not to notice and waved at everyone, carrying on about her next writing project she had booked just this morning. “It’s so nice to work in a place like this. I don’t exactly get the best inspiration for writing a research article about gardening while looking out my window at the apartments across the street.”
I grunted in reply, unable to look anywhere else but down at my feet.
“Are you okay?” she whispered, stopping once we’d made it to the entrance of the only pub in town.
Whispers: Interactive StoriesMake your own choices and decide what happens next!
“I told you I dinnae like this idea. We shouldnae be out here where everyone’s watchin’.”
She took a good look around and tugged at my jacket until we were standing along the side of the building. “I know you don’t trust them, Bram. And I can’t imagine the things you went through, especially growing up on your own. They casted you out and then forgot all about you…and then that horrible bitch came to recruit you for the freaking Nazis of all things! But it won’t be like that this time, I promise you. You should try and work on getting over your mistrust of the humans. I mean, you’re sleeping with one, you know.”
Not exactly willing to trust the townsfolk just yet, my dragon let out a low, raspy growl. The sweet lass might have had a good point. “I can work on it. Maybe.”
The cool wind whipped past us, swirling Ella’s heavenly scent all around me, helping calm the insatiable beast. She smiled at me as she squeezed my arm. “It’s a start.”
After Ella was sure that I meant what I’d said, we returned to the small cottage she was renting out.
“Are you sure you don’ want to come stay with me, instead?” Knowing that my mate wouldn’t be close to my side as I slept was really frustrating the dragon, not to mention frustrating the hell out of me. In older times, I would have simply demanded her to listen, the powerful beast in me having no problems taking charge over my mate.
But Ella wasn’t like that. She was strong and would’ve simply cracked up had I talked to her that way. Or walloped me over my heid.
“I actually wanted to talk to you about that,” she finally replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. The cottage was wee smaller than my house, and the only real place the both of us could fit was on the bed. “Once I’m finished with my month here, I have to go back to New York.”
Everything inside of me seized up, my dragon in such immediate anguish that I nearly missed the funny look she was giving me. KEEP. TAKE. STAY. STAY. STAY. The beast was bellowing out its thoughts, growling as it began circling around.
“I mean, I have to see my family. I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do, you know?”
My chest felt hollow, as though she had scooped out all of my innards and fed them to the gulls. “Will you?” I said, numbly.
She turned all the way to face me. “Well, yeah. I might not have a lot of stuff, but I’m pretty sure moving to a new country is kind of a big deal…”
“What?” My eyes went wide as a smart little grin cut across Ella’s sexy mouth. I picked her up in an instant, spinning her around. “You vexing little minx!”
She giggled and held onto me tightly as I stood her back up. “You didn’t really think I could leave you after everything? You made me yours, Bram. I can’t just ignore that. I don’t want to. Plus,” she said, gesturing to the whole of the room, “I’ve never felt more at peace, and less crazy. I kinda think I was meant to be here.”
Emotion filled my chest, aching at the thought that she would choose me with her family back home in America. But I didn’t want her take the decision lightly, even though deep down I felt utterly triumphant. “Are you sure you want to do this?” I couldn’t help the desperation that sneaked its way into my voice. “We could figure out another way.”
To her credit, Ella didn’t play games when she saw the sincerity in my eyes. She reached up and stroked at my jaw. “I don’t want another way, Bram. I want you. I want Scotland. I want peace…” she trailed off before taking a deep breath, “and I want love.”
I closed my eyes as she pulled me down to her level, her cool lips seeking mine out, soothing the ever-present blaze in me with a long kiss.
“I want those things too, lass. More than you’ll ever know.”
I lost count of how many times I made Ella come, or how many times she worked her magic on me. It was enough that even I was getting rather tired and required a break.
The day faded into night and as I laid there on the floor by the fireplace, Ella’s deliciously beautiful body asleep on my chest, I mentally prepared myself to put away the century’s worth of anger and hatred I had toward the humans. Deep inside a box in the far reaches of my mind, past where the dragon could reach, I hid it all.
She believed in me, and if she could believe in an old, cratchety moron like me, then pretty much anything was possible.
If Ella wanted me to forgive then I could slowly do that. After all, I loved her enough already to try.
Part VIII
The Cursed Werebear Prince
Alyse Zaftig