Chapter 1 : The Dragon's Lair

*Ember*

It burned. My hands burned as though I’d stuck them in fire.

I sobbed in pain, calling out for my mother. I pulled my hands back towards me, but that didn’t stop the pain. Looking down, I could see it was my hands that were the problem—they were glowing blindingly bright and burning themselves!

Screaming, I tried to find my mother, my hands the only light in the darkness. Finally, her smiling face appeared.

“Mama!” I cried. “Mama, it hurts! IT HURTS!!!”

At least I thought I was screaming it. I was trying to. But no sound was coming out.

My mother smiled. It was a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. And her eyes had gone a milky white.

It frightened me.

“Mama!” I tried again. “Mama, HELP!!!”

No sound.

My mother kept smiling, even as she disappeared from view.

“Mama!” I sobbed soundlessly. “Mama… mama…”

***

“Mama!” I cried out into the room as I woke from the nightmare, covered in a cold sweat. My heart thundered in my chest as my ragged breathing returned to normal.

I sat up, the low light of a lava lamp beside my bed cast a faint glow around the room. A Figment blanket had fallen to my waist, and my white t-shirt was clinging to my wet body.

I took in several calming breaths. I was safe in my room above the bookstore where I worked.

Sighing, I pushed the lingering terror of my nightmare away by slowly grounding myself.

Red lava lamp with yellow lava bubbling within it. Check.

Small kitchenette sitting in all its peeling white paint glory, housing the microwave and fridge that were my two basic cooking utensils. Check.

Desk across from the bed with three large monitors and a gaming chair, all set up for what I called my social life. Check.

I looked down at my hands. Glowing hands. Check. Except, blessedly, they weren’t actually glowing. Not right now, anyway.

On my bedside table I had a pair of stylish leather gloves, crimson with dragons stitched into the leather. I considered pulling them on for comfort, but I was alone here, and there was no reason to. There was no one here I had to hide from.

Though, on that note, I did roll out of bed in my t-shirt and red lace panties and padded barefoot over to the door, checking all five locks. I was firmly bolted, chained, and barricaded in.

I ran a shaking hand through my long, deep red hair. Somewhere during the thrashing of another nightmare, the band had come off my ponytail and I had the annoying long locks in my face again. I could have gone to rummage in the sheets for it, but I decided not to. I needed a distraction. Desperately.

The computer screens lit up the moment I wiggled my wireless mouse. I leaned back in my black-and-red gaming chair and brought up the five forums where I spent most of my free time. I hunched, braless, over my desk, looking at who all was online in the middle of the night.

Like me, most of my online friends lurked at any and all hours.

There was a heated debate going on in one of the forums about dragons and hoarding. Some of my fellow dragon obsessives were convinced all dragons hoarded treasure. Gold, specifically.

I snorted. Plebs...

‘Dragons hoard lots of things.’ I typed authoritatively. ‘Heck, some might have a stamp collection. You never know.’

That stirred a flurry of debate I only half paid attention to because I was looking for him.

A few weeks ago, DracoK4u had joined the forums. All the forums. Not to say that was unusual, most of my friends were in all five forums. Dragon fanatics, all of us.

What had been different about DracoK4u is that he joined all the forums at once. Usually, a true dragon freak like me kind of organically migrated from one to the other over the course of weeks. Or at least days.

But this guy, he popped on all five in seconds. It had startled all of us super-nerd lurkers. I’m sure he received a flurry of DMs, but, another shocker, HE DM’d ME. I hadn’t said a word, but five minutes into the flood of ‘Hi, Hello!’, and welcome’s on the group chat, a private screen had popped up for me alone.

I still blushed every time I remembered his first message.

*Brains are sexy, you know.*

Me. Out of everyone, he’d said that to ME.

As the weeks went by, he flirted a bit more, but also shared his deep knowledge of dragon lore with me, and I shared mine with him.

Now where was he…

A private chat box popped up on my screen from the fourth forum.

*Hey, beautiful.*

DracoK4u was on, just as I’d hoped.

*Hey handsome,* I replied, feeling a bit bolder than I would have been with the distance and anonymity of the internet between us.

*Flameheart5694, what are you doing up so late? Another nightmare?*

He knew. He always knew. It was like he could read my mind sometimes.

*Yeah. Bad one. What are you doing up?*

*Does a true dragon lover ever sleep?* DracoK4u responded. *Especially when a girl as fine as yourself could come online?*

I giggled. *No, I suppose not.*

There was a short pause. *Any way I can help, Flameheart5694?*

*Just talking to you makes it better,* I admitted.

That got me a smile emoji.

*Speaking of talking…* DracoK4u began.

I groaned and quickly typed back. *No.*

*Aw, come on, could it really hurt so much for me to hear your lovely voice?*

Maybe it was the nightmare and the constant loneliness. Maybe it was the anonymity of the internet. Or maybe I lost my damned mind, but I couldn’t think of a reason today not to talk to him. He’d been asking for over a week for us to speak to each other. And besides, it wasn’t as though he could see me.

*Well… maybe,* I relented.

That got me a kiss emoji and I blushed.

Then the deepest, most sultry, smoothest voice I’d ever heard in my life came over my speakers.

*Hey, beautiful,” DracoK4u murmured.

I swear I wet my panties just at that voice. I put on my headset. “H-Hi,” I replied, knowing my own voice was less than impressive.

“You sound sexy, Flameheart5694,” DracoK4u purred, and it was as though I could feel those words skimming over my body, peaking my nipples and wreaking havoc on my lower belly.

“Not as sexy as you,” I blurted.

He chuckled, and I thought I might die of the sensation THAT caused. “Depends on what end of the line you’re on, I suppose.”

“God, you sound like sweet molasses or something,” I said, leaning back and fanning myself.

“Mmm… bet you’d like that dripped all over your body,” he replied.

“I feel like it is,” I confessed. “And stop talking like that, I might just spontaneously combust.”

He laughed, dark and low. “Okay, beautiful. Whatever you say.”

“Did you see that question about hoarding?” I asked, changing the subject. “I can’t believe people think dragons only hoard gold.”

“I’ll bet a lot of dragons do hoard gold,” he drawled.

Even talking about dragons, our nerd love language, he sounded sexy as hell. Maybe even more so. “Yeah, but not all of them. I’ve done a lot of reading on the subject, and I mean it when I say they might hoard stamps.”

“Or books,” he suggested.

“Ohhh, now that would be suuuper sexy,” I responded, thinking of a big red dragon as keeper of the world’s biggest library.

There was another chuckle, and it had a kind of knowing tone to it I didn’t understand. Like I was missing an inside joke.

“I’m glad you think that’s sexy,” his voice rumbled low and alluring through the speakers.

“It is. I work in a bookstore. Not sure I ever told you that,” I confessed. “I love books.”

“Me, too. I can’t say I work in a bookstore, but I’d love to. Or a library. I’m a great lover of books myself. I suppose you’d have to be, to be digging up the amount of dragon lore that we do.”

“Fair, true.” I laughed.

“Maybe I could visit your bookstore sometime,” he suggested.

A stab of fear flashed through me, and it must have reflected in my breathing, because he quickly continued, “I don’t have to. I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m sorry. I just would so like to meet you, that’s all.”

“Sorry,” I replied, swallowing my fear. “Just… after my bad dream… I’d rather not pick up a stalker tonight.”

DracoK4u burst out laughing. “I stalk you all the time. Online, that is. I spend my whole day wondering what you’ll say or what we’ll talk about.”

“Reeeally?” I asked, drawing the word out with my hesitation.

“Yes.”

DrakoK4u’s voice seemed to fill the entire space of my tiny room. Wrapping around me in a velvety smoothness that made my pulse quicken. At the same time a longing built up inside of me for much more than his voice.

“I wish I could see you…” I murmured before I could think better of it.

My screen suddenly lit up as he switched from call to video. I sat back in my chair, nearly toppling over in surprise. It took me a good five breaths to remember, even though he had his video on, he still couldn’t see me.

“There. Now you can see me coming,” DracoK4u grinned.

He was shirtless. And ripped. And handsome as fuck.

His slightly curly dark hair was carelessly tussled over his forehead, like an actor who’d just “woken up” in a movie. No one had the right to look this yummy after just getting out of bed.

Ice-blue eyes pierced over the miles and miles of coaxial cable that must be running between us.

Over his left shoulder peeked the red head of a dragon tattoo. It was the most intricate, well-done tattoo I had ever laid eyes on. Not that I’d laid eyes on many.

His broad chest tapered down into a narrow waist that disappeared out of view of the camera. I found myself drooling and wishing I could see more.

“So, beautiful,” those luscious, full lips asked, “are you going to let me see you?”

My mouth was dry. I was scared out of my mind to turn on my camera. Out of my mind.

Which was exactly what I had to be, because I was actually considering it. “I’m… um…”

“If you tell me you’re not dressed, I’ll tell you right now, that’s not a problem for me,” DracoK4u grinned.

I snorted. “Feeling’s mutual.”

“I thought so. That’s why I’m not wearing a shirt,” he said, gesturing to his naked torso.

“That’s so mean. Showing me all that yumminess and then…” I trailed off, cheeks flaming. I was happy he couldn’t see that.

“Not being able to touch?” he drawled.

“I completely took you for a dragon nerd,” I muttered. “That’s just not fair.”

He leaned forward. “You expected, perhaps, a Star Wars t-shirt-wearing, pizza-stained, pock-marked teenager?”

“No,” I protested. Then I mumbled, “Not a Star Wars t-shirt. More like a Hobbit t-shirt.”

“Are you wearing a Hobbit t-shirt?” he wondered in a sultry tone.

I took a deep breath, then turned on my camera. “See? Nothing special.”

I wasn’t expecting it, but his sharp intake of breath was surprisingly gratifying. “Mmm, sexy. I also like the t-shirt.”

I looked down at my t-shirt, noting it was white, stuck to me, and had the store’s logo on it.

“‘The Dragon’s Lair’” he read.

I felt my face heat up and put my hands on my cheeks. “Yes… well… I thought it was funny, and Rowena let me change the name.”

“I think it’s hilarious,” he grinned. “I’ll have to get one myself.”

“They’re available on our website,” I informed him. “Though… I don’t know if we have size Yummy Mega Ripped.”

He threw his head back and let out a hearty guffaw. “Well, back at you, babe. I think you’re very sexy.”

I snorted and pointed at my hair. “I look like a scarecrow.”

“Nah.” his eyes heated up. “You look… delightfully tumbled. Wish it was me who made you look that way.”

I was pretty sure I was going to spontaneously combust. “Dragons. We were talking about dragons.”

“Not your high-beams?” he asked innocently.

I looked down again and realized I probably was giving him a very nice view. I started folding my arms across my chest, then shrugged and decided to let him look his fill. “Dragons,” I said sternly.

“Dragons,” he agreed.

And we did talk about dragons for hours that seemed to go by in moments. I completely forgot about the world outside and my only thoughts were of him. I wondered if I ever would see this beautiful man in person and what it might be like if he were really right next to me.