11. Lena
LENA
T he storm ended eventually. I didn’t notice it happen because Varyx and I kept each other very distracted. But at some point, we noticed the daylight.
Varyx did not stand on ceremony. Once I had gathered all my meager possessions, transformed into his dragon shape and barely gave me time to adjust before he snatched me up in his talons and took to the air.
“Hey, wait, can’t I ride— ohmyfuckinggod!” Air rushed past me as the dragon soared through the entrance to the lair and dropped toward the waves below. Wings snapped wide at the last moment, and we skimmed over the water close enough to touch it.
After the initial, heart-stopping swoop—which Varyx definitely intended to scare me, and for which I silently swore I’d get him back—the rush was incredible. We skimmed the waves, wind whistling past, Varyx’s vast black wings dipping to brush the surface.
Below the waves, shoals of strange fish scattered as the dragon’s shadow flashed overhead. They were there and gone before I saw any details, but they were beautiful.
Varyx pulled around the headland into the bay, and the resort came into view.
The storm had left a mark on the island, but a mild one given its violence.
Sheltered by the bay, the resort had survived almost unscathed.
A few fallen trees and some missing signage.
Not enough damage to keep my fellow guests from coming out to enjoy the returning sunshine on the golden sands.
They looked up, wide-eyed, as Varyx swooped toward them.
He landed on his back legs in the surf, setting me down in front of Greg and Thalassa.
Her serpentine length coiled around Greg’s beach chair, her blue scales gleaming in the sun, and she looked prepared to fight Varyx to defend her obviously terrified husband.
Both relaxed when they saw I was a passenger, not a prisoner.
“Lena! I was so worried about you,” Thalassa said. “I’m glad you’re okay after that storm. And, uh, who’s your friend?”
Light flashed behind me and air rushed into the space left by Varyx’s transformation. “I am Varyx, called Voidbound, owner of this island.”
If his transformation surprised the pair, they gave no sign of it. Given Thalassa’s human disguise, I supposed that made sense. A quick check told me that, yes, Varyx had remembered his shorts. Thank heaven for small mercies.
Greg and Thalassa introduced themselves, only a little nervously, and it turned out Varyx could be perfectly gracious. I thumped him on the arm hard enough to get his attention and gave him a mock glare. “You weren’t this polite to me when we met.”
“This charming couple are guests at the resort,” he said. Was that a hint of a smirk? “You, on the other hand, entered my private territory without permission and nearly fell to your death. Are you surprised that my reaction is different?”
Yep, he was definitely smirking, and I narrowed my eyes. My cheeks heated, and I hated the way my genetics made blushing so obvious.
Greg laughed, a sound that seemed to take him by surprise.
I looked around at him, and he clapped his hand over his mouth, blushing brighter than I was.
His wife had better control. “I’m glad it’s all sorted itself out,” she said, bright but vague.
“And it’s a delight to see you here with us, Lord Varyx.
Will you join any of the events, do you think? ”
Lord Varyx? He seemed unfazed by that formality. “I have yet to examine the schedule. I hope we’ll find something to explore. I’ll spend a few days here, in any case, unless my duties call me away.”
“Then I hope we’ll see you around the resort.” Despite not having legs, she managed a more elegant curtsy than I ever could. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, it’s time for Greg’s snorkeling lesson.”
We said our farewells, and I watched the two of them head down to the water with a smile. The other guests moved on, too. Varyx attracted a lot of stares, though, especially from the ladies.
The pang of jealousy I felt at that appalled me. Varyx was mine , damn it, even if only for a holiday romance.
Perhaps he’s right about how hard it’ll be to let him go, the cautious voice in the back of my head whispered to me. I told her to fuck off.
The Celestial Tiki Bar had lost some of its roof in the storm, but none of its joyful mood. This early, it was mostly empty, with only a few guests exploring the breakfast buffet. My stomach insisted that we join them, and Varyx made an amused noise as I led him over to the long tables.
“My cooking wasn’t good enough for you, human?”
“Oh, shut it, dragon,” I said. “You know you’re an excellent cook, but you’re not cooking right now and I’m hungry.”
Whatever he meant to say in response vanished under a delighted yell.
“Lena! Lena, you’re alive. Oh, thank the Depths, I was worried.” Marisol grabbed my shoulders to hug me, then froze as she looked over my shoulder. And up.
Her polite, neutral mask snapped back on.
“And Lord Varyx,” she said, tone a muted, generic friendly. “I didn’t expect you to grace us with your presence, and I apologize for the state of disrepair you find us in.”
“No one was hurt?”
“Nothing worse than a few scrapes and bruises.”
“Then you’ve taken care of the important thing,” the dragon said. “Buildings can be repaired, goods replaced. People matter more.”
Marisol smiled her perfect smile. “I knew there was a reason I liked you, boss.”
“You didn’t manage to keep track of this one, though.” He pulled me close in an embrace. “I found her wandering on my private land, looking for a story.”
I never thought I’d see Marisol pale the way she did at that. “I am so sorry, Lord Varyx. I take full responsibility, of course.”
“Peace,” Varyx said, raising a hand to cut off her apology before lowering it to rest on my shoulder. “This once, I appreciate the unexpected visit. I would appreciate your taking more care with the guests in the future.”
His touch sent a wave of heat washing through me, making me want to drag him onto the nearest table and do unspeakable things to him. Who cared that we had an audience?
I do, thank you very much, I told myself firmly. Aside from being in public, it’d be downright unhygienic.
While I distracted myself, Marisol and Varyx finished their conversation, leaving her looking as calm as ever. Hopefully, that meant things had gone okay.
“Now,” my dragon was saying when I tuned back in, “we must eat something and plan our day. Come, Marisol, advise us.”
I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment as the siren joined us at a table. Her presence kept me honest, and without her there, I doubted my attention would have been on the food.