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“If I can figure that out, you’ll be the first to know,” I chuckle.
“Who the fuck cares,” she says breathlessly and presses her mouth against mine. I am astounded by her capacity for physical expression of love. I am astounded more by how desperately I respond every single time to her expression.
It’s incredible to me how a lifetime can be expressed in a single moment. When I’m with Brooke, all that matters to me is being with her. My past is forgotten, my future is unimportant, and my present is entirely wrapped up in the joy we share. The physical pleasure is almost secondary to the wonder of knowing that we can share the same space, the same moment, the same life together.
After, we lay together again, smiling blissfully and savoring the feel of our bodies together. After a while, she rolls over again and asks, “Can I see Valentia?”
I sigh. “I’m not sure.”
Her brow furrows. “Why? Am I not allowed?”
“There’s no taboo against it,” I say, “but…” I try to think of how to explain it in a way she can understand.
“Is it considered inappropriate for a human to visit an ancient dragon?”
“No,” I say, “not exactly. It’s more...” I pause again, then finally say, “Valentia is held in high esteem among dragon kind. All older dragons are. He is considered to be a… how did you describe it at the meeting? A repository of knowledge.”
“Like a sage?”
“Yes,” I say, “very much like a sage.”
“Do you think he won’t want to see me?”
I laugh. “On the contrary, I think he would absolutely love to see you. He would likely spend hours talking your ear off about any subject about which you’re curious. From what I understand, Valentia has always been fascinated with humans, even though he spends very little time in his human form.”
“But it’s not allowed?”
“It is not forbidden for you to see him,” I explain, “but it could be seen as disrespectful by others of our kind.”
“Like Lord Brantley?”
“Yes,” I admit. “Like Lord Brantley.”
She props herself up on her elbow and says, “If you feel that it would be wrong of me to see him, then you don’t have to take me. I don’t want to put you in a bad position.”
I think a moment, then decide that if Lord Brantley and the more traditional dragons want to be upset about me taking a human to see the Ancient One, then they can take it up with me. Besides, it’s not likely they’ll ever find out.
“I’ll take you,” I say.
She squeals and claps her hands, then throws her arms around me. I hold her close and smell the soft scent of her perfume.
We make love one more time, slowly and romantically, then shower and head downstairs to wait for Petyr. While we wait, Brooke reaches up and unclasps the gold necklace she wears. She hands it to me and says, “A gift for Valentia.”
My eyes widen in surprise. She has no way of knowing how important gift-giving is in our culture. The fact that she thinks to do this is just more proof that this woman is exactly as wonderful as I know her to be.
ChapterFifteen
Chosen
Brooke
I wonder how it is that I can still be surprised by dragons. After a year with Aiden, I’ve seen things so far beyond my understanding that I can’t even begin to explain them or quantify them. I’ve seen wealth that is utterly unimaginable. I’ve seen wisdom beyond the greatest of human minds, power that seems more like something found in a storybook and not real life.
So, when we arrive at Valentia’s cave and I walk inside to find myself utterly shocked by what I see, I decide that I just have to give up thinking that I’ve seen it all.
The cave itself is unremarkable from the outside save for the fact that it’s very large, perhaps twenty feet high and fifty feet wide. I assume this is to accommodate entry and exit in dragon form.
We land, and Aiden shifts to human form. “Follow my lead,” he says, “Wait to speak until Valentia acknowledges you.”
