Chapter 15 Hektor #3
Frustration grew in him, and all he wanted was to end it. So, he rushed forward. However, instead of knocking Calaway down or trying to capture him, Hektor bent down low, grabbed him by legs. He flipped the human over his head, tossing him high in the air before he landed with a thud behind Hektor.
The audience cheered, then began to chant his name. As he scanned the crowd, he stopped short, shock filling him, but not because of the adoration.
No, it was something else.
Or rather, someone else.
In the sea of people, right in the very front row, was Zara. Her beautiful face was inscrutable, but she didn’t turn away.
She really was here.
Pain shot through his skull, and he let out a bone-rattling roar. Slowly and deliberately, he pivoted on his heel to face his opponent.
Calaway stood there, a bent metal chair in his hands, a shocked expression on his face.
“What the fuck?” Calaway exclaimed. “Why aren’t you on the floor?”
His anger began to simmer. “You will find that it is very hard to knock me out, you puny human.” Diamond skin, after all, was impenetrable. “But you, on the other hand…”
Heat built up from within his chest involuntarily, which began to glow. He was tempted to release the holy hell of his fire on this fool. However, he wasn’t in Vale Crossing, so he inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
“Stop!”
Huh?
He spun around.
Zara.
“Stop!” she repeated, scrambling into the ring. “Are you insane?”
“What?”
She jabbed a finger at his chest, which still glowed with dragon fire. “We’re on the Upperworld and he’s a human,” she hissed. “You can’t just burn him up like you did Lord Eros!”
“I was just trying to scare him. He acted like an honorless craven, hitting me while my back was to him.”
“This is pro wrestling.” She rolled her eyes. “You should have—you, know what, never mind. This is stupid.” With a dismissive wave of her hand, she walked away from him, sliding under the ropes to leave the ring.
“Zara, wait—” He attempted to chase after her, but the referee stopped him, placing a hand on his arm.
“Let me go,” he said.
“If you leave, then you forfeit the match,” the official said. “Do you want to do that?”
“Drekhar,” he cursed. He had to win this to prove to Zara he was worthy.
But did it matter, if she wasn’t around to see him?
She was already gone, anyway.
But he was determined to finish this task.
“So,” he said to the referee, “Whoever leaves, loses?”
“Yes,” the referee confirmed.
“Fine.” He turned to Calaway, who was seemingly frozen to the spot, still staring at him. “Leave,” he bellowed.
Calaway gulped audibly, then turned around and scrambled under the ropes as the crowd booed and jeered at him.
The referee reached for his hand, but Hektor evaded him and instead leaped over the ropes, landing on the floor with a great big thud.
“Where did she go?” he asked Roberto. “I must go after her and explain.”
“She’ll probably just go home,” Roberto said. “Give her some time. Come, let’s go back.”
Hektor’s instincts told him to go after her, but perhaps Roberto was right. She seemed really angry at him, and it wasn’t just because she thought he was going to expose his true nature to the unsuspecting crowd.
“Perhaps we should head back.”
After retrieving their things from the locker room, Roberto drove them back home. The knot in Hektor’s chest loosened the moment he spotted Zara’s car in the driveaway. Thank the gods she did go home and he did not drive her away further.
Pam was waiting for them outside the doorway. “We’re fine, don’t worry,” she said.
“I must speak to Zara,” Hektor said. “She must—”
“Hold on there.” Pam held up a hand and blocked his way. “I think you need to give her some space.”
“But I must explain—”
“She understands what you’re doing,” she said. “But—wait, let’s go inside and talk, shall we?”
“Breathe and give yourself a minute, Hektor,” Roberto urged. “You’ve been wound up tight, or tighter than usual, the whole drive home.”
“But—”
“I think it’s time we listened to a woman’s perspective.” He grinned at his wife. “My wife is usually not wrong about these things.”
Hektor unclenched his jaw. “Alright.” It was their house, after all, and he would respect their wishes.
He followed them inside, all the way to the kitchen where Pam gestured for him to sit at the tall counters where an array of refreshments had been laid out.
“I have beer, wine, alcohol, but also some soda and juice, plus some snacks in case you were hungry.”
“Thank you, Pam.” He reached for the juice, not wanting to impair his judgement with spirits. The cold liquid soothed his throat as he drank the entire glass. “That was most refreshing.”
Pam folded her hands on top of the counter and leaned forward. “Now, I think it’s time we revise your strategy,” she said, her tone authoritative. “It’s obvious what you’ve been doing isn’t working, and we need to examine why.”
“It’s obvious why,” he replied. “Zara was not raised in Vale Crossing or knowing about the ways of the Drakkon.”
It was a conclusion he reached on the drive back. A miscalculation on his part that he should have accounted for.
“I knew you were a smart one.” The way the corner of Pam’s mouth curled up reminded him of Zara. “So, use that brain of yours and think hard.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what’s the third task,” Roberto piped in.
“The final task involves climbing to the top of the sacred Salriat Mountain. For a Drakkon, the trek takes about three days non-stop. Then when we reach the summit, we perform a ritual dance.”
“Sounds dangerous,” Roberto said. “I don’t know if we have any sacred mountains but we are at the southern end of the Rockies. There’s a peak called Sangre de Cristo.”
“How do I get there?”
“I don’t think we need to go that far,” Pam interrupted. “Tell me, Hektor, what does this symbolize?”
“That there is nothing we will not do for our mate and children,” he stated. “Not even a mountain peak can stop us.”
“Alright, that’s a start. What about this dance you’re supposed to perform.”
“It’s the mating dance. This can be the toughest part of all.”
Roberto chuckled. “If you have two left feet, I imagine it can be. But we can find you a dance teacher, if you want.”
“My feet are fine, but that’s not the problem.
” He paused, thinking of how to explain it.
“It is actually the final step in a very long process. There are no prescribed steps nor can they be taught. Rather, throughout the courtship process, the Drakkon must learn his potential mate’s likes and preferences.
This dance must reflect that and it is a test of not just a Drakkon’s physical prowess, but also his emotional intelligence. ”
Pam put a hand on her heart. “Wow. That’s actually very romantic. And progressive, if you don’t mind my saying.”
“It is the way things have always been. Drakkons mate for life, and do not get a second chance.”
“Perhaps you can still perform a dance for her,” Roberto suggested. “You don’t have to make it so over the top, with the climbing of the mountain and stuff, but you should make it personal. Something that tells her you pay attention to her wants and needs.”
“I have an idea,” Pam chimed in. “But only if you want to do it.”
“Yes, please, tell me.” Zara’s parents knew her best, so he was willing to try anything. And Hektor was desperate. “Tell me your idea.”
“How about we….”