Chapter Four #2
The log dwelling sat on piled rocks, with matching rocks going up one side.
A chimney? Four stone steps at the front of the house matched the rest. They climbed the steps to the porch.
The air was filled with the scent of trees and grass.
How odd to live in a box out in the open and not a dwelling built into a cave system, though the woodsy scent gave off a homey vibe.
Doc produced a key affixed to a rainbow keychain.
Daire learned the significance in the hospital from a nurse who’d explained what he’d seen on TV.
His perception of Doc and Nate took on new meaning.
He’d learned in his two weeks in the human world that certain humans expected male/female pairings only, looking down on any other, unlike in the dragon world.
Dragons loved who they loved, whether a single person or multiples.
Male and female dragon pairings were necessary to produce a clutch in ancient history, back when dragon kind spent most of their lives as humans.
Legend said dragons spent more time in human form back then because humans required less food and other resources than dragons, and prey had been scarce in the days of the dragon world’s creation.
An idle thought flitted through his mind.
I should’ve asked Sakaris! Folks say he was probably there.
One problem with spending most time as humans: children born of human bodies couldn’t shift to dragons, forcing the dragon couple to remain in reptile form for months if they wished to have dragon offspring. Clutches ranged from one to twenty, further stressing resources.
Then, one day, a couple entered the sacred cave to pray to the Goddess and returned with a single egg. Since then, the Goddess granted young, and dragon kind no longer gave birth. Or so the teachers said.
Of course, some of those teachers insisted Terra had once been part of Adrakus, the reason humans of both realms resembled each other.
Whatever the case, dragons still hatched from Goddess-granted eggs, resembling their parents, as alphas, betas, and omegas. Their development and attractions varied according to each dragon's desires.
The mysterious Nate might have desired Doc.
Once Doc wrestled the front door open with a squeal of hinges, Daire stepped through. Okay, maybe some repairs were in order. Hours spent watching home improvement shows in the hospital might come in handy.
He caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of Doc wiping away tears, further confirming that Nate had been a very good friend, perhaps more.
The place wasn’t much to look at on first glance, especially not when compared to Daire’s rooms in the castle, but not bad in comparison to his space in the barracks.
He might not know the human names for all the items, but he knew their purpose.
Everything else he could learn, and if he stumbled in public, Doc instructed him to fall back on the excuse of the accident affecting his memory.
Not for the first time, he reflected on the real Griffin, what his reaction would have been to seeing his grandfather’s place for the first time, when it became his.
Doc provided something he called a laptop at the hospital, letting Daire read the correspondence between Nate and Griffin, whom Nate called Griff.
Genuine love existed between them. Good.
No one should have to leave the plane of the living without having known love.
Heaviness settled in Daire’s chest. Where were his brothers? Were they okay? Had Father survived the attack by some Goddess intervention? Deep in his soul, Daire knew his father hadn't survived, making his older brother Elouan the rightful king—if Elouan hadn't died too.
No, the bond of brothers said Elouan and Anrai survived, though the medications kept him from probing further.
Had they seen Daire’s literal fall from grace?
In the dragon realm, he might even sense their emotions if they were close enough and the emotions were particularly intense. Had they felt his terror and pain?
No time to think of such now, not with Doc giving him a benevolent smile and a raised eyebrow. Oh, yeah. Looking around. Daire should look around. He pointed to the objects in front of him. “Couch, chair, table.”
Doc nodded, pointing to another object similar to the one in the hospital room. “TV. I’ll show you how to work it later. It’s a bit more advanced than the one in the hospital room.”
Worn spots showed on the cloth couch, which, like everything else in the room, appeared well-used but clean.
Daire strode through the doorway to the right of the main room—living room?
He’d heard the name on a TV show he’d seen in the hospital.
These items in the side chamber he knew: bed, dresser, chair.
Though small, like the cabin itself, the room gave off a homey feel. The bed appeared new.
“Nate slept on a pile of blankets on the floor,” Doc said.
“I bought the bed for Griffin. I’d already removed Nate’s clothing and most personal items to prepare for his grandson’s arrival.
I’ve kept them for you to look at later, if you’d like.
There’s another bedroom that once belonged to Stanley, Nate’s son.
It’s still much the same as when the boy left. ”
So, Doc was responsible for the house’s pristine appearance, which elicited a touch of sorrow. Seeing Nate’s environment, the way he’d lived, would’ve helped Daire know him.
“Why did Stanley leave?” Daire couldn’t imagine walking away from a loving father.
Doc rubbed a hand over his bald head, letting it come to rest on the back of his neck.
“Nate loved that boy. Would’ve given him the world.
Was a wonderful dad. But when Stanley got to high school, things changed.
He hated living in the backwoods, he said, and left to go to college in Arkansas.
Did okay for a year or two, then he fell in with a bad crowd, dropped out of school, and ended up overdosing on opioids, which devastated Nate.
He kept wondering what he’d done wrong.”
A picture hung on the wall of an older man and a young boy smiling at the camera, holding up a string of fish. Yes, the tinge of heartbreak hovered in the air, tempered by a lot of love.
Daire breathed in deeply, catching the scent of another beta. Nate. But there was also…He stepped farther into the room, letting his senses guide him. Bitter coffee. Some kind of cologne he’d smelled before, and under all the other scents….
He turned to face Doc. “You. It’s you he fell in love with and stayed for.”
The color drained from Doc’s face. He nodded.
“How did you—” Dawning realization showed in the widening of his eyes.
“Smell. Nate told me about dragons’ keen sense of smell.
Yes, we were lovers. I stayed here with him more often than not, since he wasn’t comfortable in my house in town.
He avoided people when possible and intended to stay here until we finished building our retirement home. ”
“No matter why he came to Terra, he stayed for you.” Interesting. Nate abandoned his world for a human. Had he, like so many, lost his court?
Doc nodded, lips pulled into a tight line. “Yes, he stayed for me. Though he couldn’t fly here often, he found plenty of places to shift for a while, to enjoy his dragon form. I bought one hundred acres nearby for us. We’d started building a house, planning to let his grandson have the cabin.”
“What killed Nate?” Dragons usually lived longer than humans and were harder to kill.
“I’m not sure. His physiology differed from a human’s, as does yours. The official cause of death was a heart attack.”
“Was he an old dragon?”
“He lived longer than most humans would, though he didn’t appear much older than me in the end.”
The lines around Doc’s dark eyes, and the gray shooting through his neatly trimmed beard were the only signs of age. “I’m sorry, Doc. I didn’t know.”
“How could you? I didn’t tell you. You had enough on your mind.”
No, but if Daire hadn’t been so self-involved, he might’ve asked long before now. “Once again, I’m sorry for your loss.” Would Daire and Ywain have become more one day, if allowed to? No. They were far better as friends.
Ywain. The mere thought of his sunny smile, his jokes, his urging Daire’s more foolhardy ideas on, left an ache deep within.
“As am I, but even more grateful to have known him. Now, I have to check in on the evening shift and must go. You have the cell phone I gave you? Remember how to use it? Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.” I won’t. “Thanks.”
A thin smile crept across Doc’s lips. “I heard your unspoken ‘I won’t’, you know.”
“How?” Could Doc read minds?
Doc chuckled. “I loved a dragon for nearly forty years. One learns a thing or two. Now, there’s food in the kitchen that doesn’t require cooking, or can be microwaved, like you saw on TV. If you find something not to your liking, or need more, let me know.” He closed the door on his way out.
Food? Yeah, Daire might have to give Doc a list of preferences. He’d learned long ago to feed the dragon. But was he still a dragon if he couldn’t fly? Something inside him rebelled at the idea. Of course, you’re a dragon! it seemed to say.
His dragon wasn’t exactly vocal, adding input through feelings or even images.
Images came. Phantom sensations. Flames! Heat! Agony! Burning! Desperation!
Daire collapsed onto the floor, burying his head in his scarred arms. No! Noises erupted from his chest, big, choking sobs, releasing a tidal wave of emotions, his first moment truly alone since he’d left the dragon realm.