CHAPTER 6: What just happened...

Celeste

It's time to leave, but what is going on today? Everyone is acting so weird. I don't know. Maybe it's jet lag. Maybe I'm just imagining it. I've known these guys since we were little, but I haven't seen most of them in a decade or so. We came to retreats with our parents growing up, so maybe it's just that they are different from how they acted back then so it makes their current behavior seem odd. Who

knows? Moving on. We need to get going. I'll feel a lot better once the infirmary is fully stocked. It makes me oddly tense to be even slightly unprepared.

We are on our way to the door when Daddy comes into view. "Morning, Daddy. We were just about a leave." He wraps me in a hug at his side, and looks at the guys that are walking behind me.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Nice to see you all again." They all echo his greeting. "Just a reminder, this is my baby girl. I love her

dearly. If anything were to happen to her, I would not hesitate to rip all your heads off."

"Oh my god, Daddy! Really? That is just so completely over the top. I can take care of myself, ya know!" I say with obvious rage in my voice. He flinches a little, but just smiles and kisses me on the head. After throwing one last death glare at the guys, he retreats down the hall to the conference room. "Good lord. Sorry, guys. He's not usually that overprotective. What has gotten in to him? Hah. Anyway, let's go."

Little did I know the guys are all giving one another knowing glances behind me. Like, they all understood something I didn't. They wouldn't tell me about it, of course.

We all get in the SUV out front, and I start it up. "All right, guys, buckle up, here we go. We're heading to Boulder. It's about an hour drive from here, so get comfy. Let me know if you need to stop for anything." Everyone acknowledges, and we're off. I hope we don't hit a ton of traffic. I need to get this stuff back in case it's needed. The guys have all gone quiet. I wonder why. Oh yeah, maybe it's the fact that my father just threatened to kill them. Thanks, Daddy. I really appreciate you upping the awkwardness of this trip for me. We are going to have a chat when I get back.

Cerin

I am sitting in the middle row behind the passenger seat on the way to Boulder. I've been facedown on my phone for most of the trip, returning e - mails for work. God, how can these guys talk so much. It's like listening to a bunch of babbling toddlers. Maybe I should have had one more bag of blood at breakfast. I seem to be cranky. It's not all bad, though. I look up from my phone and study the breathtaking view. No, it's not out the window. It's in the driver's seat, and I have the perfect spot to observe it undetected. I never thought I wanted to fall in love again, but this woman makes me think very seriously about it.

I go back to my phone to finish up before we get there. I think we only have about ten minutes left. I just finish up when all of a sudden, the radio cranks up and a love song flows from the speakers.

Celeste bounces with delight. "Oh my god, I love this song!" That's when it happened. If vampire's hearts still beat, mine would have stopped. There she is, singing her heart out, and it is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Obviously, the other guys are staring at her too. All of us completely captivated and wanting to grant her every lyric that she sang.

"Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars. Place your head on my beating heart..."

I guess she finally realized she was putting on a one - woman show and stopped singing. Her face turns slightly pink as she turns down the radio and give all the grinning faces a once - over in the rearview mirror.

"Sorry, guys. I really love that song, and I get way too into it before I even realize what I'm doing," she says, clearly embarrassed.

"No need to apologize, Celeste." I say, "If you ask me that was much better than the original. I have definitely never felt what I just felt listening to Mr. Sheeran singing that song."

She gives me a blinding smile before she says jokingly, "Well, if I ever go pro, I'll be sure to let you know. Ah! We're here, guys." And she pulls into the pharmacy. So ends our little banter.

Ryu

We all help Celeste get what she needs at the pharmacy and get it back to the car. She breathes a visible sigh of relief at finally being prepared for anything. She must be really thoughtful, and always

puts others first. I really admire that about her. It's very rare nowadays to find someone as beautiful inside as they are outside. She definitely is, and that is saying a lot. God help me, her outside makes my dragon carnal.

I hope nothing endangers her today. I can't be certain, but it is possible that she would cause forced change in me. It's instinct for a dragon to protect someone he has feelings for when danger arises. In some circumstances, we can't control shifting to dragon form when immediate danger is sensed, since it's a fighting pose. A dragon shifter's dragon half has more control on the body and mind than the human half in these situations, sometimes. This woman definitely has the potential to pull that out in me.

As we get back in the car, Celeste suggests grabbing some lunch and taking it to a nearby park to eat and relax for a while before heading home. Of course, we're all starving, so we readily agree. We decide to pop into a café near the park for some sandwiches. Once we get to the park, everyone stretches out on the grass to enjoy the mild fall temperatures. We all make small talk while we eat, but just as I finish my sandwich I hear a faint noise. It is a child crying. I quickly got up to investigate. I soon found a small boy, maybe eight years old, sitting alone on a bench crying. I sat down next to him slowly. "Why are you crying?" I ask softly.

"The girl I like doesn't like me back."

"Ah. I see. Well, I promise you that one day you will meet someone who loves you just as much as you love them. So just be patient. If this one didn't work out, that just means that it wasn't meant to be. Fate is probably just saving the person you were meant to be with for when you are more ready to handle that kind of relationship. I promise, that one special person is worth the wait."

"You really think so?"

"I really do," I say as I tousle his hair and he smiles brightly. He thanks me and runs off to play. I stand and watch him go until he's out of sight.

Suddenly, from behind me I hear, "That was amazing, Ryu." I turn quickly to see that Celeste has been standing there watching me. Her eyes are somewhat misty. "You're going to be a great dad someday, you know that?" She turns and walks back to the group with a radiant smile after saying only that. I feel heat rise to my face. Not because I am embarrassed. It is because, for some reason, that felt like the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me. I feel affection flood my body. Well, now I'm hooked. Rivals be damned, I've got to give it my all now.