Dragon's Heart (20 page)

M
aya sat next to him and silently reached over to
squeeze his thigh. At least she tried to. Might as well have tried to squeeze a
bowling ball. Absolutely no give existed in those muscles beneath her fingers.
When she would have withdrawn her hand, Draakar placed his over hers. He kept
it there for the short ride from the airport to the hospital. She didn’t bother
to try removing it; she knew it would be pointless. Besides, she enjoyed the
sensation of her hand engulfed by his, like he held something precious to him
and he would take care of her.

     
The early
spring scenery passed, but she saw none of it as the car sped down a very quiet
Fairfax County Parkway to the hospital. Her mind focused on an internal debate.
Her feelings for Draakar were evolving too fast, yet not fast enough. How could
that be? They had just met, yet they had always known each other. According to
him, Fate decreed they belonged together and had imbedded each with an
immediate recognition, if not acceptance, of the other.
 
Because she had recognized
him
.
 

     
She didn’t want
to accept what her senses told her but could no longer deny he needed her as
she needed him.
 
She knew that in
her soul. It called to his. The question remained, could she forgive him? He
was here with her now when she needed him. Not a bad beginning.

    
They arrived at the
hospital, much too soon for Maya. She looked up at the innocuous looking
structure. Nothing particularly remarkable or memorable about it, yet the
building chilled her down to the bone.
 

     
Her nana died
in this place, and now her mother lay in intensive care. If she never had to
set foot in there again, it would be too soon for her. If not for Draakar, she
didn’t know what she would have done.

     
He helped her
out of the limo. Maya couldn’t hide her anxiety and fear from him. He kept his
arm around her waist as they entered the hospital.
We’re here, Maya, and your mother is still alive.

I know, but I’m…I’m still worried.
It’s like déjà vu.

 
She felt
his kiss on the top of her head as they walked past the nurses’ station in
search of her mother’s room.
 
Because of Draakar no one bothered them. A slight tingling at the base
of Maya’s spine told her he used some of his powers.

Yes. I am.
He said to
her having read her mind.
I’m merely
planting the thought that we belong here so we won’t be stopped or questioned.

Maya
smiled, grateful for his presence. He found her mother’s room and stopped in
front of the open door. Maya stepped around him but halted. Maya saw what he
did. A man sat beside the hospital bed holding the hand of the woman lying
comatose on it. A woman who looked a lot like an older version of Maya. It took
a minute for the gray-haired man to realize others stood there. He raised
swollen red-rimmed eyes to the doorway.

     
“Maya, Maya.
Thank you, God!” the man cried.

     
Her father
never got the chance to do more than rise from his chair before Maya caught him
in a tight embrace. “I’m here, Daddy, I’m here,” she cried in her father’s
arms.

     
In the short
period of time she had been gone, her father, a big man, who at six feet always
stood so straight and tall in her eyes, seemed to have shrunk into himself.

Ian, why don’t you wait outside in the hall,
Maya heard
Draakar send.

Ian,
quietly backed out of the room and softly closed the door.
       

      
After
they embraced for a few moments, drawing strength from the presence of each
other, Maya’s father raised his head. He blinked; she knew he had finally
noticed Draakar. “Who’s this, baby?” he asked.

She
turned within the comfort of her father’s arms and stared at Draakar. “I’m
sorry. Where are my manners? Daddy, this is Draakar Akgon, and he can save Mom.
Draakar, this is my father, Vincent Trent.”

Her
father looked at her then back at Draakar. “Is he a doctor?”

It
was a reasonable question, but she saw what her father did. Draakar looked like
no doctor she’d ever seen, but how should she answer his question.

Tell him the truth, just maybe not
all of it…not quite yet.

      
Draakar
stepped forward to shake her father’s hand. Maya felt him pause before
answering. “No, I am not a doctor in the conventional sense, but I am a healer.
I can save her.”

    
“How?” her father
asked. “The doctors can’t seem to do anything more for her. She’s slowly
bleeding to death. She can’t undergo any more surgeries. All they can do is
fill her with pain medicine. They don’t expect her to last the night,” he
choked out.

     
Maya wanted to
weep at the sight of more gray in his short-cropped hair and the additional
lines around his eyes which were not there a week ago. Her parents always
appeared younger than their age, but today her father looked much older than
his fifty-nine years. “Dad, he can help.” She looked at Draakar and in that
moment she trusted him completely, not just to heal her mother but also to heal
her soul.

    
Draakar moved around
to the other side of the bed and gazed down at her mother.
 
Her father never took his eyes off him,
but Maya sensed the moment hope infused her father’s heart.

She’s brethren, Maya.
Draakar
sent.
Can you feel it? So is your father,
although he merely carries a hint of brethren in his veins. No dragon dwells within.
He cannot wield magicks, but he shows great inner strength and determination. I
see where you get yours from.

Maya
took her gaze off her mother to look up at Draakar, who glanced at her briefly.
Your mother, however, is dragon but it’s
still dormant, buried deeply. That just means she may not be able to wield much
Earth magicks. She is sensitive to it, as is your father. I will have to call
forth her dragon to aid in her healing. Once I awaken it, she should be whole.

Maya
nodded, silently giving him permission to do whatever he thought necessary. He
wasted no more time. “Maya, take your father’s hand then place your hand in
mine.”

“Maya,
what’s going on?” her father asked.

“It
will be all right, Mr. Trent. Please take your daughter’s hand.”

When
her father still hesitated, Maya grasped his hand then reached across her
mother for Draakar with her other. He placed his palm on her mother’s forehead,
linking them all. A soft golden glow surrounded her mother’s face then spread
until it encompassed her entire body. It probably only lasted a few seconds but
when it disappeared, both Maya and her father blinked at its absence. Her
mother’s chest rose and fell, like she had just taken a deep breath, then her
head moved to the side. Her breathing no longer labored nor were her facial
features contorted in silent pain. Her entire frame relaxed and appeared more
like a natural sleep.

     
Draakar removed
his hand from her mother’s forehead and released her hand, then stepped back a
little. “She’ll be fine now. She just needs rest for a day or two to continue
to heal. She should awake by morning.” The beeping monitors seemed a more
normal sounding rhythm, further giving truth to his words.

     
Maya watched as
her father looked over his wife’s body at Draakar, who stood on the other side.
Tears slowly rolled down her dad’s age-lined face. He stuck his hand out to
grasp Draakar’s. “Thank you. I’m not sure who you are or what you did just now,
but thank you. You saved her. She’s the love of my life, and next to Maya, the
most important thing in it.”

     
Before anyone
could comment, a sharp knock sounded at the door and Ian poked his head in.
Draakar glanced over at Maya.
Ian warned
me there is a man at the door who wouldn’t go away and insists on seeing you
and your parents. He claims he’s your fiancé.

     
What?

     
Draakar nodded.
“Let him in now.”

Justin
shoved his way past Ian and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Draakar. A
pissed Maya watched as Justin’s eyes kept moving anxiously between Draakar, her
father, and herself. How dare he tell Ian he was her fiancé! But she couldn’t
take him down for the lie. She wasn’t supposed to know. Still she glared at
him.

Finally
he spoke. “Maya, honey, thank God you’re here,” he said, stepping closer to
Maya. He quickly enfolded her in an embrace, which she returned but when he
tried to kiss her mouth, she angled her head so his lips ended up on her cheek.

Funny,
she used to think him a handsome man. Justin didn’t look so handsome any more.
She had never really noticed the weakness to his chin, and the penchant he had
for avoiding prolonged eye contact. She sighed, in truth not surprised to see
him here. Ian trying to keep him out might have made him desperate. Anyone
close to her parents would have been concerned for her mother. While she
appreciated him being there for them, having him in the same room as Draakar
make her uneasy. It felt all wrong. Justin, felt wrong, and his lie stung.

Turning
to her father, Justin said, “Vincent, I’m sorry I was gone so long. I had to go
down the street for a decent cup of coffee.” He held the coffee toward Vincent.

Maya’s
father took the still hot cup. “Thank you, Justin.”

A
ll this time Draakar never said a word. He just
silently watched and assessed Justin.

He
saw a lean, good-looking man about thirty, a little shorter than his six-plus
frame, with blunt military-style cut blond hair and eerily hazel eyes. He
sensed strong emotion from the man, his need to possess Maya, and his wariness
at finding another man here with her. Draakar subtly encouraged his unease; the
man had every right to feel wary. Nor did Draakar forget the lie the man told
to try to gain entrance. He believed it. The man displayed an unhealthy
possessiveness toward Maya.

The
Dark Lord also sensed something else about this Justin. He carried brethren
blood but like Maya’s father, he sensed no dragon within. He blocked Draakar’s
mental probes so he could not read his mind. A sensitive to magick energies,
and one with strong natural barriers.

Interesting.

Draakar
would have to touch him to breach the barriers and read his mind, frustrated he
had to do so. His powers weren’t at full strength, and he had to expel some of
his magicks to heal Maya’s mother. So far what he could sense on the surface of
the man appeared relatively harmless—concern for Maya’s mother and
jealousy toward Draakar. This Justin had no right to be jealous. Such a
privilege, should he choose to exercise it, belonged solely to him.

     
“Who’s this?”
Justin asked, indicating Draakar with his chin. “A new doctor?
 
And who’s the guy at the door who
wouldn’t let me in?”

     
“Mr. Akgon,”
Vincent began.

     
“Draakar,
please, and if I may, Vincent.”

     
“After
everything you’ve done, of course,” Vincent readily replied. “Justin, this is
Draakar Akgon, and…yes he’s a special doctor Maya brought with her.”

     
Draakar read
the doubt in Vincent’s mind. Vincent’s confusion, and for reasons he couldn’t
explain, the importance of letting Justin believe Draakar was just a doctor.
Draakar knew Maya’s father thought he had saved his wife. His daughter trusted
him, so he would too. He would keep the man’s secrets. Whatever they were.
Draakar smiled to himself at Vincent’s thoughts.

     
“And I believe
he’s helped her already,” Vincent said aloud.

     
“Well that’s
wonderful news,” Justin said, smiling at everybody. “Mr. Akgon, how can we ever
thank you?”

     
Maya raised her
eyebrows at Justin’s proprietary manner, and then glanced at Draakar. He smiled
at her. But when he turned that smile on Justin, it never reached his eyes.

     
“I’m sure Maya
will find a way,” Draakar said, leaving no room for argument in his tone.

     
Draakar could
feel Justin gearing up to respond and so could Maya, because she spoke into the
momentarily charged silence. “Dad, I know you’ve been at Mom’s side all night.
Why don’t you go home and take a little break? She’s fine now, and like Draakar
said, she’ll probably sleep till morning.”

     
“Yes,” Justin
said, nodding in agreement. “He’s been here all night.”

     
“You’ve been
here with me most of that time,” Maya’s father said to Justin. He looked
between Maya and Draakar and continued, “As soon as Justin found out about the
accident, he rushed over here after having just gotten back from his trip. He’s
been with me ever since she came out of surgery. You’re probably tired, too,”
he said to the young man.
  

     
“Tell you
what,” Justin replied directly to Vincent. “I’ll take you home, and you can get
a little rest so you’ll be fresh and more relaxed when Carrie wakes up.”

     
“That’s a good
idea, Dad,” Maya agreed. “You go home with Justin. I’ll stay with Mom and call
you immediately if there’s any change.”

     
“Well…”

     
When Vincent
hesitated, Draakar spoke up. He could see the fatigue on the man’s face. “Your
wife will be fine, Vincent. You have my word.”

     
Maya’s father
nodded once as though in silent acknowledgement of Draakar’s pledge. “Okay, you
all have convinced me. I can use a ride home. A friend gave me a lift to the
hospital. I couldn’t drive when I got the call.”

  
“And a friend will take you
home,” Justin interjected. “When you’re ready to come back, just call me. I’d
be happy to bring you.”

      
“That
won’t be necessary,” Draakar and Maya said simultaneously. Draakar glanced at
her before he continued. The sooner Justin understood his position the better.
“I’ll have my driver pick him up when he’s ready to return.”

     
“Oh, it’s no
trouble,” Justin insisted. “I’ll want to check on Carrie, too. She does mean a
lot to me and she’s also Maya’s mother.”

     
“Oh,” Draakar
said ominously. “What exactly is Maya to you?” Let the bastard make his claim
to Draakar’s face.

     
The air in the
room dropped exponentially to match the chill in Draakar’s voice. Maya moved to
stand at Draakar’s side, brushing her shoulder with his, calming him with her
contact while presenting a united front. “A friend,” Maya stated, vehemently,
“Justin and I are only friends.”

     
Justin looked
at her as though he would argue, but instead he seemed to think better of it
and sighed. Draakar hoped he resigned himself to her distinction. “Yes,” Justin
finally conceded. “We’re friends.”

     
When Maya
stepped forward to briefly hug the man, Draakar’s dragon almost growled but she
immediately returned to Draakar’s side and took his hand, calming him. “Thank
you for staying with my dad and taking him home,” Maya said. “Draakar will have
a driver pick him up later. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how she’s
doing. Maybe you could visit her then.”

    
 
Justin stared at their joined hands for
a moment before responding. “Okay. That’s fine. Well, I guess I better go.” He
turned to Vincent. “Ready when you are.”

      
Vincent
leaned over the bed and kissed his wife. He whispered something to her.
 
Everyone in the room, even without
enhanced senses could accurately guess what he had said to his wife of thirty
years. ‘I love you.’ He rose from his chair and hugged Maya, who sat down in
his place. He pumped Draakar’s hand and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll
see you later.”

      
“Yes, you
will.” He held out a card for Vincent to take. “My private number is listed
there. When you’re ready to come back, just call me and I’ll have my driver
pick you up.”

     
“As long as
this won’t be an inconvenience,” Vincent said, taking the card and glancing at
it.

     
“None what so
ever, Vincent. It’s my pleasure to be of assistance.”

     
Justin placed
his hand on the doorknob and paused. “Ah, will that guy out front allow us to
leave?” Justin asked, half jokingly.

     
“Yes, he will,”
Draakar answered.

     
“Who is he
anyway? Some kind of bodyguard? I’ve never known a doctor with a bodyguard,”
Justin complained.

     
“Some kind of
something.” Draakar offered no further explanation.

      
Justin
nodded, maybe realizing his questions weren’t going to be answered to his
satisfaction. “Oookay,” he said, “Nice to meet you anyway. Maya, I’ll talk to
you tomorrow. Have a good evening.”

     
Vincent kissed
his daughter’s cheek. “Bye, sweetheart. I’ll only be a few hours and I’ll call
the number when I’m ready to come back,” her father said, waving Draakar’s
business card in front of her.

    
“See you soon,
Daddy.”

     
Maya and
Draakar watched the door close behind the two men before turning to face each
other.

A
rush of emotion flowed through Maya’s veins for the man in front of her. Her
dragon surfaced, reaching out and connecting with his. She had truly forgiven
him.
Thank you.

You’re welcome.

I may have misjudged…

Maya…Maya, is that you?

They
looked down at her mother on the bed. Her sleep still appeared a natural one,
but she had clearly spoken in their minds.

Yes, Mom, it’s me. I’m here.

Who…who’s with you?

You know who I am.

Yes…yes I do. But I…don’t really
understand. I’m so tired, so tired—must rest.

     
Yes, rest. All will be well. Maya
will stay and watch over you.

     
Yes, Mom, rest. I’m right here.
You’re going to be all right now.