Chapter Two
Boen
I stared at my closed laptop from the kitchen as I sipped on my third cup of lemongrass tea. My agent set up a video call for one this afternoon, so, naturally, I could do nothing that morning but wait for the call.
This was why all my appointments and meetings were first thing in the morning.
Nibbling at a ham and cheese croissant, I groaned wondering what the meeting would be about. Zack knew better than to invite me to a meeting or even a phone call without an agenda or at least a general idea about the subject to be discussed.
I lost myself in the thoughts of what-ifs while fingering the dragon-scale necklace I wore. The imposter pendant was a replica, of course. No dragon on earth would give one of their scales for a silly necklace but also, as someone who had great reverence, respect, and knee-wobbling awe for dragons, I would never wear a real one.
That would be like worshipping wolves and wearing one of their skins.
I shuddered at the thought.
Dragons had been my obsession since I was a kid. My father was an avid book lover and read me a book every night without fail. With varying voices for each character, he brought stories to life. One night, he brought home a new book and, as he read about the dragon spreading his large, glimmering wings and using his fire and valor to rescue the princess from her keep, I slowly fell in love with the creatures.
That book and that night with my father was the beginning of a lifelong obsession that had, in the last year, turned into a career.
I didn’t have much hope for the book until I sent it to a few agents, trying my luck. I braced myself for negative feedback, or worse, no feedback at all but instead, received an offer from the first agent who read it. Months later, my first graphic novel about dragon lore and adventures with fire and treasures took flight.
And now, a few years later, number six held the top spot for middle-school books on the charts.
My book.
My love for dragons had hatched into something amazing.
If only my father had lived to see it.
The timer on my phone went off, letting me know it was time for the meeting. With no agenda or hint, I sat down at my desk nervously, gripping my cup of tea with more strength than necessary.
Zack was punctual so at least I could rely on that. The ringer for the video call began to resound and I answered immediately.
“Good afternoon!” he called out. Not surprising. Zack was one of those chipper, positive people. Lucky.
“Good afternoon,” I ground out, waiting for the punch line.
“Have you seen your rankings this morning? We could not have asked for a better response to your novel. It’s incredible.”
“It is. Thank you.” He had to have a different reason for calling me. Maybe the rankings weren’t good enough? Had I fumbled one of the interviews somehow? No. He said it was doing well. “What do you want?” I blurted out. Shit. I tended to do that. “I mean, what is this call regarding?”
Zack chuckled. He already knew about my shenanigans. This was why we had decided against in-person and live interviews and opted for written ones instead. My mouth had direct access to my impulsive, intrusive thoughts and sometimes they didn’t allow me to intervene. “This is a good call, Boen. A really good one. You can relax. You’ve done nothing wrong, and the book is doing well.”
My shoulders relaxed. My jaw went slack. Sure, there were still unknowns about why he was calling me, but the reassurance did wonders. “Thanks.”
“The reason I wanted to talk to you was that since your newest book is doing so well and you’ve worked so hard on all the press and interviews, we wanted to present you with a gift. I wanted to give you something special.”
If it were flowers, surely they would already be here.
No packages had arrived.
“Thank you. It was a team effort. You, the publisher, we all made this happen.”
He nodded and pushed up his black-framed glasses. “But you wrote this masterpiece. I was wondering what I could get you that would mean something more than flowers or a new watch. So, I thought you might like what I decided on.” He reached over to his laptop and clicked a few times on his mouse. “There. I forwarded you the email. See what you think.”
I almost growled. He could just say the damned words. No need to dance around things. Cat and mouse was absolutely not my favorite game to play. Instead of complaining, I clicked on my email icon and saw his name at the top of my inbox.
Forward: Dragon’s Landing Festival Reservations Confirmation.
Sucking in a breath, I skimmed the body of the message. “You didn’t,” I murmured, clicking back to the ongoing video chat.
Zack’s grin lit up his face. “I did. It was actually perfect timing. The festival is this upcoming week. Everything is paid for.” My pause must’ve been longer than he expected. “Boen? You’ve talked about it so much. I can get a refund if you don’t want to attend.”
Holding up a hand for him to stop, I gathered my excitement. Visiting Dragon’s Landing was a dream of mine, but going to the annual festival where dragons and humans gathered together to celebrate and immerse themselves in the culture of winged shifters?
Zack couldn’t have picked a better gift.
“Zack, you’ve made my day, hell, maybe even my year and life. This is incredible. Bucket-list amazing. I’m speechless.”
My agent clapped his hands and laughed. “Now that’s a reaction! I’m so glad. You have a few interviews and blog posts to get done before you go but, other than that, pack your bags. You’re going to meet some dragons.”
The happy dance I engaged in couldn’t be helped. Me. Meeting real-life dragons. Maybe one of them would let me touch their scales. Look into their golden eyes. Be among them. Watch them take flight. All of it.
This was the trip of a lifetime.
“Save that dance for the dragons. Who knows. Maybe you might find a partner there. A date with a dragon? Sounds like a good time to me.”
I sat down, my body tingling from the excitement. “I don’t think dragons mate humans in real life. Sure, it happens in romantasy books and on TV, but…” I stopped myself before I went on a full rant about all the things I assumed about dragon mating and romance.
“You might be the exception. You have certainly exceeded our expectations with this book. Go have some fun and then, let’s get back to work. Book two won’t write itself. Everyone wants more about your quirky side characters and that brooding dragon from the mountains. Take care, Boen!”
He signed off before I could respond. There wasn’t a thank-you I could mutter that would be sufficient for the gift he had given me.
I shut the laptop and ran to my room. I had no proper luggage for a trip like this but, with a few clicks, I could. I picked out a set of nice luggage, since before then, my graphic artist salary hadn’t afforded it, and decided to go do some shopping.
While I didn’t believe in Zack’s notion about finding a dragon mate, I did think there was a chance I could meet someone special. Someone who clearly shared my interests since they were at a dragon festival.
Someone to share a life with. My bed with.
Goddess, that sounded nice.
I got dressed and made my way to a boutique down the road where I was greeted by a dapper older man behind the counter. “Hello, what can I do for you?”
Now that I had some money in the bank, I had the luxury of buying some nice clothes for myself. Thrifting was my favorite, but it was no longer a necessity. Having a bit of money in my pocket was nice for a change.
“I’m going to a festival, and I want to look my best. Can you help me?”
The man smiled. “Of course I can. You’ve come to the right place.”