Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1) (28 page)

“Well,” he said as he pulled something out of the bag, “I don’t suppose you’re up for some strip poker?” He said as he flashed a deck of cards and a wicked grin at her.

“Pft!” Al laughed out loud. “Not likely, Drago.”

“Drago, huh? Well, maybe I should challenge you to a game of strip Go Fish.” He said as that wicked grin got wider.

“I thought we were supposed to be having a nice normal, calm first date kind of thing.” Al said to him with a smirk of her own.

“What? You sayin’ you don’t flash some skin on a first date?” Kai asked and batted his eyes with a very non-believable angelic look on his face.

“Nope! Not even an ankle, big guy.” Al grinned. She loved this side of Kai, the playfulness and the humor. He always made her feel so comfortable. It had always been so easy to talk to him, even from the first moment she had looked into his face as she hung onto his arm and tried not to fall on her ass.

“Aw, shucks. I guess we’ll just have to play straight cards then.” Kai responded.

“Well, I don’t know very many card games. We just might have to play Go Fish.” She said to him as she looked down at the flowers still in her hand. “You know, I wonder if these would be able to handle the water from the tap. I don’t want to waste the bottled that we have.”

“You know, I can always run in for more. Use the bottled water.” Kai picked up his bottle and drank about half and handed it to her. “I had some while I was still in town. You can use half of mine.”

“Are you sure?” Al looked at him and when he nodded his head, she placed the flowers in the bottle and put them on the table. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome, lass.” He pulled out the cards and shuffled them. “Now, let’s see, what should we play?”

“The only card game I remember is Crazy Eights, my family used to play it all the time when I was little. Do you know that one?”

“Um, no, not really, how do you play?” Kai asked. He started to move things around on the small table. “Um, I’m not sure we have room to play here.”

“Why don’t we take all of this stuff to the kitchen counter? We can eat while I explain the game and then we can come back in here and play.” Al stood up and started gathering items to carry to the kitchen.

“That’s a good idea, lass. I wonder if that refrigerator in the kitchen will still run. It would be nice to put any leftovers in there for tomorrow.” Kai said as he grabbed the duffel bag and Al’s flowers.

They both sat everything down and began sorting things out. Al got out some bread and made them both a sandwich. Since they didn’t have any plates, she handed Kai’s directly to him and they both began to eat. Kai pulled out a bag of chips, opened them and ate a few. Al looked at the chips he pulled out and they were orange. She had never seen orange chips before.

“What are those?” She asked as she finished the last of her ham and cheese.

“Oh, they’re sweet potato crisps.” Kai moved the bag towards her so she could get some. “Try one.”

“I’m not sure. I don’t really like sweet potatoes.” She hedged.

“Come on. They’re really good.” She turned up her nose as he laughed at her. “What are you, chicken?” He teased.

“No.” Al glared at him. He wasn’t budging, just stood there holding the bag out to her, daring her to try one. “Fine. I’ll eat one.”

She reached into the bag and pulled out one chip. She placed the chip in her mouth, taking a small bite, and got ready to make a face and swallow quickly. However, when she chewed, it actually wasn’t bad. Al reached for another chip and ate it. She actually found that she liked them. So, she kept eating them.

“I’m guessing you like them.” Kai said with a laugh. His blue eyes twinkled like sky blue sapphires.

“I’m hungry.” Al said, not liking the ‘I told you so’ look on his face.

“Alright, lass, but save me some, I’m hungry too.” He said as he reached over and grabbed some more out of the bag that she noticed she had taken from him.

Al began to laugh.

“Okay, so I like them. There are a few things that I have found I like more than I thought lately. So, you shouldn’t be surprised.”

Al found that to be the truth. She enjoyed having Kai around, his company, his humor, everything. She even liked the protective way he hovered around her. She knew she could take care of herself, especially now that he had taught her some self-defense – she felt more confident – but it was nice to know that someone had her back. It was a great gift that he had given her and now he was giving her another, a wonderful date with a very sweet man.

After they ate their fill of the chips, they began to clean up. Kai went over to check the refrigerator and found that it had been plugged in when he had started the generator and was cold although a bit musty smelling. Al helped him put the leftover water and food in the refrigerator, before grabbing her chocolate bar and another bottle of water. She curled up on the couch while Kai pulled the small table they had used earlier further in front of her. As she huddled down into her seat she shivered, the temperature had dropped a bit like Kai had said it would.

“Would you like me to light the fire, lass?” He asked as he watched her.

“Actually, I think that would be nice. I didn’t think it would be so cool in here.” Al replied.

Kai looked at her, “Lass, I have to partially shift and… um…” He seemed uncomfortable about something, almost like he was afraid of her reaction. Al stopped and thought about what it could be, when it hit her like lightning.

“Kai? Can you breathe fire?” She asked, intrigued.

“Aye, lass.” He said as he looked at the wood in the fireplace.

“That is so cool. It never dawned on me that as a dragon you would have all of the abilities that I’ve heard a dragon has.” She clapped her hands and bounced on the couch, excited to see him breath fire.

“I wanted tonight to be normal, but I don’t know how to light a fire any other way.” He said and she could swear he was blushing.
Was he embarrassed about not being able to do something?
She wondered.

“It’s okay. I would love to see you breathe fire.” Al gave him a huge smile, but he still looked unsure. She stood up and walked over to his side. “Kai, we have to look at reality here. You are not
normal
,” she did air quotes when she said normal, “and lucky for you, I find normal very highly overrated.” Kai laughed out loud.

“Oh, lass, you surprise me at every turn.” He reached out and pulled her into his large arms and wrapped them around her tightly. Her head rested on his chest and she couldn’t help but to wrap her arms around his waist and cuddle into him. This man felt like home to her and it scared the hell out of her. But, it was getting harder and harder to pull away and put the distance between them that she was used to putting between her and others. He had somehow wiggled his large self right under her defenses and captured her admiration and even a bit of trust. When the silence became obvious, she stepped back and looked at him.

“Okay, Drago, get to creatin’ fire. I’m waitin’.” She smirked at him as she went back to the couch. Not knowing what to expect, she figured it was best to have a bit of distance.

“Alright then, lass, you asked for it. I have to do a partial shift and I will look a bit different. My face takes on a sharper look and I get fangs and claws. You ready?” Kai adjusted his stance as he looked at her.

“Yep.” She popped.

“Here goes.” Kai said as his facial features became sharper. Al looked at his hands and found claws just like he had said.

“Show me your fangs?” She demanded as she strained to look up at his face from her seat.

Kai looked like he was going to refuse until Al started to stand, then he came towards her and kneeled down to look her straight in the face. He grimaced and then opened his mouth in a big toothy smile. Al was mesmerized by how his teeth had changed. They all looked really sharp, but the biggest change was the two large fangs that hung down over his bottom lip when he tried to close his mouth back. She reached up and pulled his lip back from the fang. He reopened his mouth, so she could see it better. She ran her finger down the length of the huge canine tooth. She glanced up at his cheek bones and moved both hands to hold his face. She moved her fingers along his cheekbones, his jaw line, and his forehead before returning to hold him. Looking straight into the crystal blue eyes of the man her heart was determined to beat for, Al knew that it was only a matter of time.

“This way or the other, you are gorgeous, Kai.” She said to him. His lip lifted in a sort of half smile.

“So are you, lass.” His hands were next to her knees, bracing him on the couch in front of her. It would be so easy to pull him down to her.
No. I can’t.

“Kai, why don’t you light that fire and we’ll play cards.” She said as she pulled back and shuffled herself away from him and into the cushions of the couch.

He looked at her a moment more, then got up and turned to the fireplace. Al watched as fire shot out from Kai and quickly caught the wood on fire. He then turned back to her, smacking his hands together like he had just done some hard work and was trying to get dirt off of them. It made her giggle and he grinned at her. His features now back to the Kai she had known the longest. The man.

“Well, lass, how about you tell me how to play Crazy Eights.” He said as he pulled his chair up to the table across from her.

“Okay. Why don’t you be the dealer? Shuffle the cards, deal seven cards to both of us, then place one card face up and set the rest face down next to it.” Al said as she got more comfortable. Grateful that he didn’t seem to be pushing anything but what he had said he wanted them to have tonight – a normal date.

She watched as Kai’s nimble fingers shuffled the cards like a pro. She was so glad that she hadn’t agreed to strip poker. She’d be naked before the room even warmed from the fire. She would lose that quickly to him.

Before her mind could wander farther into an area she didn’t want to go, Al played her first move. She explained to Kai that they drew from the face down pile and then discarded in the face up pile. The discard had to either be the same suit or rank. They began to play until Kai threw down an eight of clubs.

“Okay, what suit do you want it to be?” She asked him.

“What are you talking about, lass?” He looked confused and Al began to laugh.

“Oops.” She placed her hand over her mouth. “I guess I forgot to tell you why it’s called Crazy Eights.”

“Aye, it appears so.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. She giggled at his stern look.

“Well, eights are wild. Meaning that you can place them down on any play and you then get to tell me what suit you want to play.” She giggled at his fake outrage.

“Lass, I could have played that eight back when you made me draw from the deck until I could discard.” He tapped his foot on the floor.

“Yep.” She grinned.

“Why, you’re a cheater.” He sat forward and slapped his cards to the table.

“No I’m not. I just forgot to tell you.” She said as she grinned and looked at the cards in her hand.

“Let me see your cards.” He demanded.

“No. Then you’ll know what I have. Quit being a baby and tell me the suit so we can continue to play.” Al struggled to not smile at him as she looked down at the other 3 eights from the deck.

“Lass, you better show me those cards before I come over there to see them.” He growled.

Al looked in all directions trying to decide what to do. She was giggling so hard that she couldn’t hold it back and was beginning to have trouble catching a breath.

“Fine.” She said as she slapped her cards down on the table face up. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed at him.

“I knew it! You never planned to tell me about the eights until you had to play them. You have three of them. I bet you were hoping to get the fourth one too.” He looked her in the eyes. She bit her lip and tried to hold back the giggles but it was no use. She busted out laughing.

“I guess I win.” She said as she jumped up and ran for the bathroom. Kai let out a booming laugh from behind her.

Al giggled the whole time she was in the bathroom. After washing her hands in the stinky water, which was probably no cleaner than anything else in the cabin, she looked into the mirror. Her eyes were twinkling. Her mouth was curved into a genuinely happy smile. Even with everything that was happening, this man had made her the happiest she had been in a long time. Even without his good looks, she would find him attractive. The only sad part of today was that she didn’t know what was happening to Nat and Rogue. Her friends were out there somewhere with bad men after them. She only hoped that Kai’s friends were as strong and honorable as he was. She sighed at her reflection and turned to go out to face Kai.

When she walked up to the table, she noticed that two of her eights were missing and she had two new cards in their place.

“Where are my eights?” She asked the smirking dragon.

“The suit is hearts.” He said as he motioned for her to take her turn.

“Kai, where are my eights that I had?” She asked as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Your cards are right there.” He gestured at the cards sitting in front of her seat.