20. The Dragon’s Three Wishes
Chapter twenty
The Dragon’s Three Wishes
Monique
Lei looked at the dragon. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl who got lost in a cave and stumbled upon a dangerous yet sleeping dragon, lounging on all of his treasure. She was scared at first, but then she noticed how peacefully he slept, and her fear turned into curiosity.”
I listened intently, picturing the scene in my mind.
The cave was vast and dark, its walls glistened with moisture and the faint sparkle of embedded gems.
Stalactites hung like ancient chandeliers from the ceiling, and the air was cool and heavy with the scent of earth and stone.
But in the heart of this space, I saw the dragon lying all majestic and fearsome with blue scales like the ones on the railing.
And there he was, sprawled atop a massive hoard of treasure—gold coins, glittering jewels, and priceless artifacts all piled high around him and casting a warm, golden glow.
I could even see the little girl tiptoeing closer. Her tiny footsteps echoing softly in the vast space and mingling with the quiet, rhythmic breathing of the dragon.
Lei continued, “The dragon’s eyes were closed, and his massive chest rose and fell with each deep, contented breath. He looked almost serene, but the little girl knew for sure that he was very dangerous.”
“Why didn’t she run away?”
“Too young and curious for her own good.”
I smiled.
“But still she summoned her courage, and the girl edged even closer as her gaze fixed on the dragon’s ancient face.”
I placed my view onto the dragon head on top of the railing.
“She could see the lines of age and power etched into his features, and despite his fearsome appearance, there was a gentleness in his slumber that reassured her that. . .perhaps she would be safe. . .so. . .”
“What?”
“She decided to touch him.”
I blinked, imagining the little girl now at arm’s length from the dragon’s massive snout.
There, she reached out her hand.
My heart pounded loudly in my ears as if it were me there in the cave, reaching out towards a deadly creature.
Lei spoke, “She cautiously approached, taking great care not to tread too heavily on the glittering treasure beneath her feet and listening intently to the soft snores of the dragon. Relief washed over her when she noticed no change came with the snoring rhythm.”
Girl, you better leave that dragon alone.
“And then. . .”
I put my view on Lei.
“The dragon opened its eyes.”
“Oh shit.”
Lei grinned. “The dragon stared at the little girl with those ageless eyes that twinkled like stars in the night sky, and the silence felt like an eternity to her. Even more, it was hard to tell who was more startled.”
“Okay. Lei. . .this dragon better not kill the little girl.”
“Well. . .instead of being met with a fiery breath or an angry roar as one would expect, something incredible happened,” Lei said softly. “The dragon let out a slow breath that sent a gust of warm air across its treasure and through the little girl’s hair. Then, he cocked his head slightly to one side and regarded her with a curious expression.”
I imagined the little girl feeling the rush of warm air, her hair fluttering around her face. Her wide eyes reflecting both fear and fascination, as the dragon’s gaze bore into her with magical intensity.
I smiled. “He was a nice dragon after all?”
“No, but I would say he was more. . .curious.”
“Did he speak to her?”
“He did. His rumbling voice echoed through the cave. ‘Who are you, little one, and what brings you to my lair?’”
I parted my lips.
“Trembling but determined, the girl replied, ‘I am lost and wish to go home. Can you help me?’”
“What did he say?”
“At first the dragon laughed. It boomed like the sound of a hundred thunderstorms colliding. One would think that she would have rushed away from that terrifying noise, but she remained right there, scared, yet courageous.”
In my mind, I saw the dragon’s laughter causing ripples in the air, the treasure beneath him clinking and shifting with the vibrations.
Yet, the little girl stood firm, her heart pounding but her spirit unbroken.
Perhaps, the dragon was now fully awake and captivated by her bravery.
Lei placed his attention on the dragon railing in front of us. “Once he was done laughing, he roared, ‘I should eat you!’”
“Dragons eat humans?”
“Dragons eat whatever they want.”
“Alrighty then.”
“But what was interesting is that she simply said, ‘I don’t taste good at all.’ And that brought more laughter from the dragon.”
I grinned at her response.
“Then, the dragon said, ‘I should kill you.’ The little girl shook her head. ‘You don’t want to get your treasure dirty. I am messy when I die.’”
I was so damn captivated with this story. “Alright. Go ahead.”
“That went on for a while, the dragon made some odd threat, and the little girl countered with logical statements that made him either rethink his threat or simply laugh.”
My smile widened. “I think the girl is going to make it to the end.”
“You’re right. Eventually, the dragon gave up and said, ‘You are a brave soul, little one. For your courage, I will do more than take you home, I shall grant you three wishes. Speak them wisely.’”
“So what did she decide were her wishes?”
“The girl’s eyes sparkled with hope and wonder as she spoke, ‘My first wish is to go home.’”
I nodded, thinking that wasn’t a bad wish at all due to her circumstances.
“The dragon’s eyes softened. ‘And your second wish?’ It was in that moment where she looked around at his vast collection of wealth and showed him her tiny hands, ‘I wish for a small amount of your treasure, just enough to fit in my little hands.’” Lei placed his view back on me. “The dragon chuckled. ‘Very well.’”
“I’m glad he wasn’t mad at that.”
“He knew that those hands would only be able to scoop up a few glittering gold pieces and precious gems. That would change her family’s life forever, but be no loss to him.”
“Perfect.” I quirked my brows. “What was her last wish?”
“Well. . .the girl hesitated, then after a silent minute, she smiled up at the dragon with pure, heartfelt warmth. ‘My last wish is that. . .I wish to be your friend.’”
“That’s a twist.”
“When my mother first told me the story, I was shocked too. I thought she should wish to have the power to fly or be invisible whenever she wanted to.”
I laughed at Lei’s younger thoughts.
Grinning, Lei let out a happy sigh. “Anyway. . .the dragon’s eyes widened in surprise, and then a genuine, deep smile spread across his face. All of his sharp fangs showed. “You have a wise and kind heart, little one. All three of your wishes are granted.”
As Lei finished the story, his eyes met mine. “My mother explained that the little girl saw the value in a friendship with the dragon over greed. She chose a tiny bit of gold, knowing the dragon would never want to give it all away, and she chose returning to her family over any super power he could give her because she understood the true magical power of family.”
“I like that breakdown.”
“I always thought about that story as I grew up, and the more I aged the more I knew that the little girl understood the importance of having a flying, fire-breathing friend who could offer more than just material wealth. He could offer her a future of adventure.”
“That’s true too.”
“In the end, the little girl had the purest intentions—love, decency, and loyalty.”
“I like that.”
“You should because this week, I want to give you three wishes.”
My heart swelled with emotion as I looked into his eyes, feeling the weight of his words, and the promise they held. “Three wishes?”
“Yes,” That sexy gaze was unwavering. “Anything you want. Just like the dragon in the story, I’ll do my best to grant them.”
Slowly, I looked at his towering muscular frame, sliding my gaze up and down and enjoying every delicious detail. “So right now. . .I’m the little girl and you’re the dangerous dragon.”
“And unlike in the story, after you get those wishes. . .I do plan to eat you.”
Desire drummed through me. “Nasty dragon.”
“Very nasty.”
I studied him. “Why are you giving me three wishes?”
“Why are you choosing to rule by my side?”
“Because. . .I want to. . .I need to. . .”
“That’s the same for me. I need to spoil you.”
My heart fluttered. “Three wishes?”
“It could be money. A plane. New car. Shopping spree. Another house.”
“No. . .” I thought of the little girl and how she stood on the treasure looking at that dangerous dragon.
She could have tried to take all of his treasure.
Had she asked, would he have simply ate her up or obliged?
And would it have been worth it to be so greedy to piss off a dragon?
Naw. I’m thankful for this house and this position because. . .with it, I can get my own plane and whatever else I need.
So I thought deeper about those three wishes Lei offered me.
“Alright.” I sighed. “I have my first wish.”
Lei placed his hands in his pocket. “What is it?”
“Your aunts get released within the hour.”
He frowned. “Really? You’re going to use a wish on them?”
“Like the little girl, I choose the return to family.”
“They’re my aunts, not yours.”
“They’ll be my aunts one day.”
His face went from a stoic mask to a look of shock, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape. Then, slowly, his expression softened and a small, loving smile spread across his face. “Okay. You’re right. They will be your aunts one day.”
“Glad you’ve come to your senses. Now, please go ahead and text Chen.”
Sighing, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Are you sure you don’t want to rethink that first wish?”
“You better get my aunts out of that dungeon.” I scowled at him. “You were bugging with that decision.”
He rolled his eyes and began to text. “I wanted to make sure they never thought about kidnapping you again.”
“They didn’t kidnap me. They brought me here to get answers.”
“No. While you got answers, you were also in the first row of a show, and the name of that play was Plotting and Testing.”
“You weren’t there.”
“I don’t need to be there to know what happens when my father and his siblings get together. They would make any Broadway cast look like amateurs. Their acting is top notch.”
I blinked.
Lei finished texting and then put his phone back into his pocket. “Second wish?”
“Uh. . .I kind of want to do something different, but I don’t want to mess up the flow of the East.”
“What do you want to do?”
“After seeing this house and the garden, I really want my sisters to see it sooner.”
“You want to move them in right now?”
“No. Not move them in. . .because if I did. . .then that would mean my being here fulltime.” I sighed. “But before the battle, I would love to have Banks bring the girls over for a short visit. Maybe for dinner or something and. . .”
He watched me. “And?”
“I want them to meet you.”
He nodded. “I want to meet them.”
“Perfect. I’ll show them the garden and their rooms. Then, they’ll know that I’m safe and be excited about their futures. Plus, Banks would calm down with my living in the East.”
“I like that. However, I would like to alter your wish.”
“In what way?”
“Instead of Banks driving them over, I’ll send the helicopter. Then, we won’t have the press following the car from the gate to Lotus Blossom’s outer gates.”
“Wow. Okay. I mean. . .none of them have ever been in a helicopter so that alone will make their year.”
“Then, I’ll let Chen know to grab them tomorrow. You’ll have to tell Banks.”
“I will.”
He pulled out his phone and began typing again. “What about your third wish?”
“Hmmm.”
“More clothes and shoes? Jewelry? Tonight, we could even fly off somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. We would just have to be back by tomorrow morning.”
Oh shit. Tomorrow. Damn it. I almost forgot.
Lei continued, “It would be a small trip. Just you and me.”
He put the phone up.
Tension gathered in my shoulders. “Well. . .this would be a big wish and a massive ask, but I am hoping that you are open to it and trust me. Lei. . .you really need to trust me.”
Lei took in two staff members as they carried chairs out of the hallway and toward the dining room.
Then, he looked back at me. “Trust you?”
“Yes.”
“Always, Moni. Just say the final wish. You decided to dedicate your life to the East and me. Therefore, I’ll give you anything because you’re giving all of yourself to me.”
“Good, but. . .it’s still a huge ask.”
“Just tell me.”
“For my third wish, I want to have a tea ceremony with your father tomorrow with the news cameras in attendance.”
And just like that, Lei’s face turned pale, his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open in disbelief. Next, his body froze.
I swallowed down my nervousness. “Lei?”
All the joy that had been in his eyes, left.
“Lei?” I walked closer to him. “Talk to me.”
“Fuck.” He looked up at the ceiling and turned back to me. “Now I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“I thought it was one type of test, but. . .he wasn’t just testing you. Fuck. Now I understand the entire day—why my aunts did what they did and why Uncle Song and even my father did what they did too. It’s bigger than the tea, Moni.”
“What are you talking about?”
This odd laughter left him and I swore it sounded like some deranged person having a psychotic fit. “Now I fucking get it.”
“Get what, Lei? What am I missing?”
“Oh, Moni.” He shook his head and laughed some more. “Allow me to be your tour guide within my father’s mind.”
I widened my eyes.