For the Heart of Dragons (18 page)

Without the use of a thumb, it was a little harder to pick up the package, but he tucked his claws around the sausage and carefully lifted it from the shelf. Proud of himself, Noah bumped the door shut and held the package up against his chest as he limped on three legs back to the stove. It took a moment of hopping, but he got the package up on the countertop.

“I need a fork,” he said, looking around at the drawers. He was sure he could get the package open with his claws, but the idea of rolling them around in the pan with a claw after walking on the floor wasn’t appealing. It didn’t take him long to find the silverware, but he couldn’t get his claws in the drawer to get just one fork. After a moment of trial and error, Noah learned he had enough dexterity in his tail to wrap around the fork and lift it to where he could grip it in the folds of his claws.

With his newly acquired fork tucked tightly in his front claws, he limped back to the stove. His pan was hot and ready for the sausages. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Kara?” he asked his dragon again. When the answering angry rumble rattled his chest, Noah smiled and popped open the package. Getting the meat into the pan, Noah lined them up to cook.

“What’s this?”

He turned to see Kara coming into the kitchen. “Byrd was hungry,” he answered, turning back to the pan.

Kara came over and ran her hand down his neck.

A burst of pleasure rolled up from Byrd, driving Noah to press into her fingers. Her touch felt wonderful on his scales, so he arched his neck, giving her better access.

She scratched him a little harder as she looked over his handiwork. “You could have waited,” she said, backing away and heading for one of the high cabinets. “I would have cooked for you.”

Byrd growled at that idea. “
Mine! Provide!”

Noah hunched down as Byrd’s words rattled through his mind again. “I suggested that, but Byrd didn’t like it,” he said as he straightened back up. “I don’t think he’s much of a morning person.” Noah rolled the sausages so they wouldn’t burn. “He’s grumpy this morning.”

Byrd growled at him but settled down at the edge of Noah’s perception.

Kara laughed lightly as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “I bet,” she said. She held the pot, considering the coffee. “Do you want some?”

“Please,” Noah said in a very grateful tone. “I haven’t had coffee since before this whole thing began. Besides, it might help some grumpy dragon wake up.”

Another growl echoed up from his chest.

A smile curled Kara’s lips. “He
is
grumpy.” She set the pot down and pulled out another mug, but she stopped and stared at it, confused. “This isn’t going to work.”

Noah looked up at the mug. No. There was no way he would be able to pick up a mug to drink out of. “A bowl?” he suggested. It would be messy, but he could probably lap the coffee up.

Kara set the mug down. “I have a better idea.” Going over to one of her boxes, she rummaged in it for a moment. “How about a straw?” She held up a package of bendable straws.

Noah closed his mouth and sucked. There was enough of a pull that he was pretty sure he could use a straw. “Sure,” he chirped, willing to try it. For a hot coffee, he would try just about anything.

“How do you like your coffee?” Kara asked, bringing the pack of straws over to the counter.

“Just some sugar.”

Kara poured a cup of coffee and dropped a spoonful of sugar in it. “Two?”

“That sounds good.”

She dropped another spoonful in and stirred it around. “Where do you want it?” she asked, popping a straw in the mug.

Dropping his fork to the spoon rest on the stove, Noah looked around at the available surfaces. Since he couldn’t pick up the cup, he would need someplace that he could drink from it comfortably. “How about over here.” He hopped down from his box and headed over to another plastic box against the wall.

Kara followed him and set the cup on the lid.

Unable to stop himself, Noah circled Kara, brushing his side gently along her leg. A rumble of contentment sounded from deep in his chest. Turning his attention to the cup, he sat back on his haunches and wrapped his tail around his feet. Leaning forwards, he drew in a deep breath. The smell was amazing. Carefully, he caught the straw in the side of his mouth and sipped at it gingerly. The robust liquid ran across his tongue and down his throat like the nectar of the gods it was.
Man, that’s good.
He took another long pull, surprised that he hadn’t scalded himself on the beverage. Releasing the straw, he stared at the cup. “It’s not hot,” he said, confused by the curl of steam rising from it.

Kara laughed. “It is hot.”

Noah turned to look at her. She had gone back over to the stove and was rolling the sausages around in the pan.

“It’s very hot,” she went on, “but what did you expect? You’re a dragon.” She turned and looked at him, eyes twinkling with amusement. “You were built to breathe fire. You think a little hot coffee’s going to bother you?”

Noah looked back down at his cup. The fact that dragons were built to handle heat had never occurred to him. Practically every part of him was fireproof. He took another long pull of the coffee before heading back to the stove.

“How would you like some eggs to go with these sausages?” Kara asked as she finished fishing the meat out of the pan.

“That would be great,” Noah answered as he hopped back up on the plastic box. Kara had pushed it out from in front of the stove, but it was still up against the counter. “Can I help?”

Kara laughed again. “You can make sure these don’t get away.” She set the plate of sausages on the counter next to Noah and went to the refrigerator to get out a carton of eggs. “Dragon claws aren’t really designed for handling eggs.”

Noah raised his front foot up and wiggled his claws around. “I don’t know,” he argued. “I’m getting pretty good with these.” He reached out and gently lifted the plate from the counter. The sausages started to roll to one side, and he set it down before they fell. “But I might need a little more practice.”

Another giggle sounded from Kara as she came back with the eggs. “You would be surprised at what a dragon can do.” She cracked an egg over the hot pan. “There are some artists that work solely in dragon form. Says it gets them closer to their wild side.”

“I think my wild side is asleep,” Noah said, shaking his head back and forth. “He’s unusually quiet this morning.”

“That’s not uncommon,” Kara reassured him as she added a second egg. “Do you want these scrambled?”

Noah considered the eggs. He usually like them over easy, but that would make eating them messy. “Over hard is fine.”

Kara nodded and added another set of eggs to the pan.

Confused by her words, Noah pushed Kara back into their conversation. “What do you mean it’s not uncommon?”

“Only about thirty-four percent of dragons have some internal dialog between their two halves,” Kara explained. “The rest are either so in tune they don’t notice their instincts, or they completely ignore the fact they have instincts. Of the thirty-four percent, only one percent experience DID like you have.” She flipped the eggs as she spoke.

“DID?”

“Dissociative identity disorder,” Kara explained.

Noah cocked his head, confused.

“Multiple personalities.” Shutting the fire off, Kara slid the eggs from the pan onto waiting plates and started dividing the sausages.

“That can’t be good,” Noah said, hopping down from his perch.

“It’s not that bad,” Kara said as she picked up the plates and headed to the box serving as their table. “Some of the most renowned dragons suffer from DID.” She set the plates down and went back for her coffee.

Noah stared at his food, considering her words. “How do they cope?”

“They listen to their dragons,” she said, coming back and sitting down on the other side of the box. “As long as they keep that inner dialogue going, there isn’t an issue.”

“And when they stop listening?”

“Then they end up like you.” Kara smiled to ease the truth in her words. “That’s where I come in. I help people work out their issues and learn to live with themselves again.”

Letting her words sink in, Noah looked down at his plate. The smell made his mouth water. Moving forwards, he went to take a bite but stopped before he could get it in his mouth. He wanted it so bad, but he couldn’t force himself to take it. “I really want this, but…”

“Byrd being difficult?” Kara filled in his thought as she cut up her food.

Noah nodded.

“It will be fine,” she reassured him. “You’re just brooding.”

Noah’s mouth dropped open as he looked up at Kara. A sense of satisfaction rolled over his shock as she took the first bite of her food. “Brooding!” he chirped. “But… but… brooding is bad!” Horror stories of brooding dragons raced around his mind.

Kara chuckled. “No. Brooding is natural. Every dragon goes through it. Men more than women. But we have our own issues to deal with.”

The inside of Noah’s mouth went dry as he stared at Kara. He worked his throat, trying to come to terms with this new revelation. “So, what now?”

“What do you mean ‘what now’?”

Noah licked the roof of his mouth. “What do I do now?” He had never heard of anything good coming from a brooding dragon. The thought that he was going through it scared the hell out of him.

“There’s nothing to do,” Kara answered around bites of her food. “You just go on. Eventually, you’ll either find a mate, or your system will settle itself out.”

“A
mate?
” he chirped. That soft insistence of “
Mine!”
rolled through him, and he suddenly knew what Byrd wanted. He wanted Kara as a mate. “I can’t have a
mate
!” Noah cried, shifting his weight back and forth between his front feet in agitation. “I have work and life and… and…”

“Relax,” Kara said. “When the time comes for that to happen, you’ll figure it out. Besides, when your instincts find the right person, you won’t have much of a choice in it. You either follow where your dragon leads you, or he makes your life miserable. Now, eat your food and don’t worry about it.”

Noah groaned as he looked down at his plate. He knew what was going to happen. Either he accepted that Byrd wanted Kara for a mate, or he spent the rest of his days stuck in the lesser dragon’s form. His stomach protested its empty state, but he still couldn’t bring himself to eat. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can,” Kara reassured him. “Look, I’m already done.” She tilted her plate to show it off. “If you’ll excuse me, I should probably start getting ready for the day.” She stood up and picked her dishes up. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

As Kara deposited her dishes in the sink, the hunger gnawing at Noah’s stomach snapped loose. Bending forwards, he snapped up one of the eggs and chomped it down in two bites. It was disconcerting. Just a few seconds before, he couldn’t force himself to eat. Now, he couldn’t stop himself. Seeing Byrd’s hand in this, he gave in to the desire and devoured the plate of food.
Just when I thought I was getting the hang of being a dragon. What next?

His only answer was a soft snicker from his other half.

***

The sight of Noah scarfing down his food worried Kara. He was most definitely brooding. She didn’t need to do a blood test on him to tell his hormone levels were way out of balance. They had been jacked up since she met him, but the fact that he couldn’t eat until she was done just confirmed her fears. Noah may not realize it yet, but Byrd saw her as a potential mate—a fact that her dragon was pleased with.

“He’s my patient,” she grumbled to herself as she climbed the steps. The brush of scales against her mind told her that her dragon didn’t care. It liked the messed-up little dragon in her kitchen. Biting her lip, Kara went upstairs to get ready for the day. She hadn’t really talked to Noah about it, but she planned to take him over to his house today. Not only would it help him relate to his human side more, but it would give her an idea of the man that she was starting to fall for. Only then would she know if she had any hope of saving her heart.

9

The heat of the sunbeam felt good on Noah’s scales. He stretched out his wings, soaking up the warmth of the rays. Even after his cup of coffee, he hovered on the edge of a sleep driven by warmth and food. The sound of footsteps on the stairs pulled him out of his nap. He opened his eyes as Kara stepped down from the stairs dressed in jeans and a tight-fitting shirt. The red in her top brought out the warm hues in her brown hair, which curled around her shoulders in a way that made his blood sing. A feeling of possessiveness pushed its way into his mind. He shook his head, trying to drive it off, but it clung there, overshadowing his thoughts. “
She is not ours,”
he grumbled at Byrd, but the soft reply of “
Mine”
filled him again. Letting out a deep sigh, he turned his attention back to Kara. “You look very nice.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.” Taking the chair he hadn’t destroyed, she sat down to put on her shoes.

“Listen,” he started. He’d been thinking of a way to ask for her help since he’d finished breakfast. “Is it possible to go check on my house today?”

Kara looked up from her laces. “That’s fine.” She settled her feet into her shoes and stood up. “I’d planned on taking you over there anyway.”

“Good.” Noah folded his wings into place and got up from the floor. “I’ve got some delicate plants that need tending.”

Kara grabbed her purse as she headed for the door. “You have a garden?”

“No,” he replied, following her out. “Just a few orchids.”

“I’ve never been able to keep orchids alive.”

Noah shrugged as she let him into the car. “They’re fickle plants, but not really hard to keep once you know what they need,” he admitted. “You just have to be consistent with their care, or the whole thing starts to break down.”

Kara settled into her side of the car and considered him. “You’re a well-organized man.”

Noah shrugged again. “Have to be. Magic is a complicated field that requires attention to fine detail. If you aren’t organized, you could miss something, and the whole mess could explode in your face. Quite literally.” Several incidents early in his career came to mind. Thankfully, he’d pulled through with little more than time off to recuperate and missing eyebrows. There had only been one big explosion that had left him in the hospital, but even that wasn’t as bad as it could have been.