Prologue
Leo
I should know better than to pick up calls from unknown numbers.
A part of me hoped to hear from him, though.
Not because I missed him and not because I wanted him back in my life.
No fucking way. But I needed to know what I was up against. A certain threat seemed better than constantly looking over my shoulder and considering all the what-ifs.
I clicked answer but couldn’t make myself say anything.
“Leonard?”
The familiar voice brought anger and disgust. And relief that I’d been right.
“What do you want?”
“Leonard, dearest, how are you?”
“Cut the bullshit, Fabio. What do you want from me?”
“I want you to come home, tesoro mio.”
“I have a new home.” I looked around the hotel room and rolled my eyes. As far from a home as it could get. “I’m not coming back.”
“I’ve always only done what you’ve asked me to do, Leonard. I’ve fulfilled your every wish. You will come back.”
I laughed, but it must have sounded weak. “I won’t. Not ever. Leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that, dearest. You’re not safe without me. You need me, and you know that. I can’t let you make mistakes and hurt yourself. And you will make mistakes, dearest. You always do.”
Taking a deep breath, I suppressed the avalanche of swear words I wanted to hurl at him. “My greatest mistake was to ever come near you. I’m done.”
“Listen, Leonard.” I used to find the demanding, accented baritone sexy, but now it made my skin crawl.
God, he was sleazy. I felt tainted just listening to him on the phone.
What did it say about me that I’d spread my legs for this man a hundred times?
“You are not fit to be alone, tesoro mio. You’re fragile and vulnerable.
My people are looking for you, and when they find you, they will make sure you’re safe until you’re ready to come home to me.
You’ll miss me, and you’ll beg me to take you back. ”
Why was I even indulging him by continuing the conversation? I now knew what I’d wanted to know. Fabio wasn’t giving up anytime soon.
“Go fuck yourself.”
I turned the phone off and picked it apart. I threw the battery and SIM card into the trash bin and went to the bathroom. Having no idea what I was doing and if it even worked that way, I plugged the sink, filled it, and drowned the device in tepid water.
Bracing myself on the vanity, I pulled in a few deep breaths.
I had a few tricks to stave off an approaching panic attack.
They were simple, some of them silly, but sometimes, they worked.
My eyes landed on my toothbrush. Looking around me, I tried to find five more items starting with the letter T.
Tile. Toilet. Tissues. Tweezers. Toenails.
I should clip my toenails. I wasn’t keen on wandering outside in search of a pedicure salon.
Especially not when Fabio might know where I was.
He would find out eventually, but by that time, I’d hopefully be prepared.
I had a ticket to Ardaine for tomorrow morning.
I’d chosen Ardaine simply because I’d never been there and didn’t know anybody who lived in the area, plus it was warm all year round.
I was fed up with Dalton City’s constant rain.
My next task was to call a private security business I’d found online.
And…shit. I’d just drowned my phone. I groaned, rearranging the to-do list in my head.
Ask at reception about the closest store, buy a phone, call the security firm, and pack.
The following morning, I was boarding the earliest direct flight to Ardaine, wearing sunglasses and a ball cap like a character in some cheap thriller. My only hope was that Fabio Altera would find some other unsuspecting omega boy and direct his psycho-daddy energy elsewhere.
The dream began differently each time. Some nights, I dreamed of rolling hills and green fields.
I’d stand on a cliff overlooking the countryside, and the creature would come to me flying.
He would fly right above me and circle back.
He never landed but hovered close, and I would quiver with excitement, hoping he’d one day take me with him and carry me far away.
I’d dreamed of the dragon ever since I could remember. Not every week, not even every month, but often enough that there were nights I almost expected him to come to me. I used to think he was my protector, but when things got truly bad, when I failed and hated myself, I feared him.
I barely knew what he looked like—he was a figment of my imagination after all, so maybe he’d changed during the years.
I sensed him more than clearly saw him in the dreams, but I knew he had enormous wings and thorns on his head, like a scary fairy-tale dragon.
His eyes were orange, and they glowed with fire.
Tonight, I got reminded of him by the tiniest random detail.
The sleek hotel room had a generic decor, nothing extraordinary, but the tumbler I’d found on the shelf above the minibar had an engraving on the side.
I rotated it in my fingers, the drink sloshing, and there it was.
A winged dragon, curled into a circle. Even hollow and exhausted as I felt, I smiled.
Maybe it was a sign. Not that I believed in such things, but it felt nice to think so. Maybe for once, I’d made the right decision. Maybe leaving Dalton City hadn’t been a mistake.
The skyline of Ardaine shimmered behind the tinted window.
The climate down here was warmer and drier than in Dalton City, and even the light looked different.
The clouds seemed higher up, the horizon shrouded in a gray mist of heated smog.
At least it wouldn’t rain here for the better part of the year.
The clouds were losing color after the sunset, and feeling silly, I visualized the silhouette of the dragon nearing, flying to meet me.
My old therapist, the one I briefly met after the break-up from my first serious relationship eons ago, suggested that maybe the dragon was me. My own conscience and strength coming to the rescue.
Tonight, I felt closer to the vision than ever. I was almost sure I would dream of him.
Putting the half-empty glass on the windowsill, I pulled out my new phone and checked my emails.
The security agency I’d contacted had already replied, and their representative wanted to meet me tomorrow.
Still riding this rare wave of adulting, I confirmed the meeting, then I forced myself to eat a sandwich.
With the help of my new lawyer team, I handed over the responsibilities regarding my business in Dalton City.
I had no idea what I’d do here in Ardaine, but that would sort itself out eventually.
Technically, I didn’t need to work, but I should keep myself occupied, or my self-destructive tendencies would come out to play again.
I poured myself another glass of whiskey and traced the engraving with a fingertip. I really hoped I’d dream of the dragon tonight. It would be like seeing an old friend after a long absence.
Right after sunset, the sky glowed a deep red, turning purple above my head. I squinted into the distance, over the rocky shore, the breaking waves, into the far horizon.
There. He was coming. Enormous wings waved, and his dark silhouette grew bigger.
I wanted to call out to him, but when I opened my mouth, I made no sound. Annoyed it was one of those dreams in which I couldn’t speak and probably not run either, I sighed. I’d simply wait.
For the first time ever, the dragon dove down in front of me. He gracefully landed on all fours and stepped closer. Stretching his long neck, he nudged my chest.
He didn’t speak, but I could hear him in my head.
“Are you ready to fly?”
I nodded. I’d been waiting for this moment for years.
He stepped to the side, his long body curling around me until his enormous head hovered next to me.
“Come, then.”
I stretched out my hand and touched his neck. It burned like hell, but I knew I was safe. I put both hands on his scorching skin, and it hurt, but I could easily ignore it. When I climbed up, straddling his neck, I looked at my palms. They were intact. No blisters or reddened skin.
“The pain is only in your head, Leo.”
And then he bore down with his giant wings, and I hurtled through the air, clinging to him. I should have been terrified, but instead, I felt happy. Exhilarated even.
“Hold on. We’re going home.”