Lies Don’t Matter
By
Julia Matthews
Adult
M/M Content
If
under 18 leave sight
Unedited
Story
Zoe
Doubtful I wanted to hear what Hop had to say. I’d been through
an earthquake off the Richter Scale, twice in the last two days. What I wanted
was to go back in time. Restart my life. Not possible. Knew it too. Meant I had
to do what I did best, sit up tall, let the imaginary poker cards unfold and
pray for a strait. Little to no chance in hell I’d ever get one, dreaming
seemed like a worthwhile shot.
Hop took my hand and Godfather sat beside me. Under Godfather’s
eyes there was tinge of red and his cheeks drooped from the frown marring his
typical bright and vibrate skin. A look I never saw on him before and one I
hoped to never witness again. Knowing dad caused the distress made the
basketball size gut churning knot split into and press against my abdomen. Time
Hop got down to business so I could alleviate my stress and help Godfather in
some manner.
“Lay it on me.” I forced a smile, which Hop wouldn’t’ buy for a
split second.
He leaned back, but kept hold of my hand, making so I had to
relax backwards. “Baby, you’ve got to let me explain it all before you react.”
Not something I was the best at. Normally. I could do it. Had
done it many times. One more time wouldn’t hurt me. Yet . . . I made no
promise. If an important question formed it’d be up and out of my mouth before
I knew it. Hop knew it as well as Godfather did. Which might have been why
Godfather gave a half huff, half chuckle. He even mumbled something about how
unlikely it was for me to remain quiet. Okay, maybe I failed at every attempt I
made of letting someone explain before reacting. Didn’t most people.
“Mrs. Stone and Agent Carter wanted to tell you their side of the
Fire-Breathing Fable. It’s an old one, including some truth and your mother -
-“
“She’s not my mother.”
Godfather’s faint snort had me smiling over at him as I mentally
chided myself for failing at keeping my mouth shut. Or . . . had I. Hop hadn’t
started explaining had he? Sort of. Okay, he had. I sucked at being quiet when
I was in the dark.
“Right.” Hop rolled his eyes, then winked at me. “Mrs. Stone and
Agent Carter’s version of the fable is somewhat different than the dragons. I’m
afraid I know more of the truth than your material family would.”
“Why’s that?” There I went again.
Hop shook his head and sighed. “I knew my request wouldn’t work.”
“Should’ve of.” Godfather hugged me. “Cree is a strong headed
man, who will do whatever it takes to gain a clear picture before she gives her
final reaction.”
Hop did know it, yet . . . he always hoped I’d be more like the
women of the Logan House. Do just what their husbands said. Not something I
could ever see myself doing. Then again . . . people did lots of things they
never believed they’d do for love.
“The Fire-Breathing Fable was passed down by word of mouth for
many generations by Mrs. Stone’s family. By the time it was written down, some
of the truth had become distorted. If they ever knew it to begin with.”
“Isn’t that the case with the dragons then?”
“No. the fable was passed down to my father by his father, who
lived through it all.”
Wow! Did that mean dragons lived longer than humans? Had to. The
family tree I’d saw showed at least ten generations. Did that mean Hop was
older than he told me?
“How old are you?” I titled my head to the left, searching for
any sign of old age.
Godfather chuckled. “He didn’t lie about his age.”
My gaze shifted to Godfather.
“I on the other hand am older than I said and I won’t tell either
of you my age.”
Man. Godfather sure didn’t look old. He had a young appearance
about him. I’d always believed he used some kind of cream or something to look
so good. Then again . . . My dad always had . . .
“Was my dad older than I knew?”
Godfather nodded. “Right now listen to Hop. Stop interrupting.”
Right. Zip the lips, or . . . have my questions dismissed until
he was ready to answer them. In the past, he’d made her wait days for answers.
“This is a basic beauty and the beast story. The beast being a
dragon and the princess being the only living daughter of the Dray family. A
human, who happened to be fated to the other half of the most powerful dragon
alive. When he explained what he was the human reacted like most would have.”
Other words, there’d been running and screaming. Physically, or
mentally, if not both. What was for sure, was the woman had made sure the
entire village knew to avoid the crazy talking man. Ten generations ago many
would have treated the man like a parasite or locked him in an asylum. If not
stake him.
“The human refused the dragon leader. The loss of our other half
will drive our human side to lose control of our dragon. A dragon in full
control results in one of two reactions. Most common being the dragon
withdrawing into a cave and living there until his life ends. Those dragons
driven to control by a rejected mate has a harsher reaction. It . . .”
Hop’s heavy sigh and downcast eyes had me scooting closer to him.
I wrapped my arms around him and tugged him into me. He tucked his head against
me and inhaled deeply before sitting up.
“Dragons who work in tandem with their human side breath ice, but
when the dragon is in full control because of a rejection they breath fire.”
A huge gray scaled dragon with reddish orange flames shooting
from a pointed mouth came to life in my mind. Deadly combination for the entire
world. no wonder Hop feared my reaction. The picture sent an imaginary set of
acupuncture pins across my mind.
“The dragon ended up setting half of the west coast on fire.
Killed everyone in that area, or so we thought. The dragon’s mate and her
family took refuge inside a deep cave right before the fire. A day or two after
my grandfather killed his dragon leader, and claimed leadership of our kind,
the family was spotted making their way through the brunt rubble. My
grandfather had someone follow them until they settled down in the mid-west.”
“He let them live.” Wow! Not sure I would have. I mean . . .
letting them live endangered all the dragons.
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