Bane's Dragon: Exile (Bane Dragon Wars Book 3) Read online

  “Alright, well, are you new in town?” she asked, changing the subject. The man read through the menu, seeming far from impressed.

  “Oh, I’m just visiting a friend,” he said, hunched over the piece of paper. “Do you serve fish here?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Beth shook her head, her eyes starting to wander. “Can I interest you in our daily specials?”

  “Not really,” he murmured. “I’ll just have a beer, then.”

  Beth nodded. As she collected the menu she couldn’t help but ask again, “So you’re new in town?”

  “I’m visiting a friend,” the man said again, staring in a vague direction. He then ran a hand through greasy looking hair. “Gerald Bane.”

  Beth opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. She was stagnant, then, fighting the urge to ask more questions.

  “I don’t have all day,” the man said, prodding her to leave. She shuffled in the opposite direction, ignoring Lenny’s questioning gazes, bursting through the plastic curtains, giving into the urge to sit down for a bit.

  The diner grew noisier as Beth tried to regain composure. A stranger that looked not too far from those villains in the movies was in town visiting Gerald. Who was he and what did he want from him? Perhaps he was family, and perhaps she knew nothing about Gerald, after all.

  “Hey, we need you out there,” Lenny said, looking far from content. “Hey, what’s been going on with you lately? Is it that guy again?”

  “Hey, he’s not just some guy!” Beth snapped, rising to her feet. The sound of running water persisted, highlighting the current silence. Lenny grew frustrated, shaking his head and pinning both of his hands on his hips.

  “You’ve been acting really weird lately. Is there anything that you wanna talk to me about?”

  She was dying to confess, even though it wasn’t her secret to tell. Maybe Gerald had made a mistake trusting her, after all. “This guy I’m seeing,” she breathed, slumping back down on the ice box. “He’s worrying me.”

  “Worrying you how?”

  Beth’s lips parted but no words came out. She couldn’t do this. Breaking his trust grew into a big deal; was that what it felt like to care about someone? “You know what, never mind,” she shook her head, hands on her knees. “I’m sorry I’ve been strange. And I’m sorry I’ve been showing up to work late and-”

  “Hey, girl. It’s okay,” he ruffled her hair with his hand, like he was handling a puppy. Beth chuckled, looking up at him with desperate eyes.

  “You’re definitely hiding something,” Lenny said, flashing her a smirk. “But you know what, we don’t always like to talk about the things that are bothering us. So you don’t have to talk to me right now. Right now, you just have to go out there and serve these customers stinky coffee and go about your day, because that’s the only way you’re gonna make it. No one makes it sitting around like that.”

  “You’re right,” Beth said, getting up. She had a long day ahead of her, one filled with coffee pouring and calculating loose change.

  Chapter 8

  It was approaching eight o’clock. Beth was rummaging her closet for things to wear. Boy, I haven’t gone out in a while, she thought, the mere realization striking her like a hammer. She pulled out a fitted black turtleneck, one that she paired with a mid-length denim skirt. Beth thought that she resembled a mysterious nineties cartoon character, but she didn’t mind.

  The sun was already setting, plunging shyly into the lake. Beth lined her lips with a red gloss, smacking them together and smiling vainly at herself. She fluffed her hair up with both hands, finally feeling satisfied. She had almost forgotten what she looked like without an apron, a funny thought.

  It wasn’t long before her phone started ringing. “Hey.”

  “I’m downstairs,” Gerald’s voice came through, like a low gurgle. She never used the term “butterflies” loosely, but oh, was she feeling it right now. She hadn’t felt that way since high school, but Gerald was far from an eighteen year old prom date with acne scars. He was a full grown man with superpowers; pretty impressive, if you think about it.

  * * *

  Beth inspected her face in the mirror for one final time. Her cheeks were smooth. Her eyes shimmered. Her hair was shiny and shampooed. She was ready. Gerald was pacing the sidewalk, waiting for her. She saw him from her window, giggling at his apparent discomfort. She sprinted down the fire escape, the heels of her shoes causing a rattling that must’ve woken up the neighbors.

  Eventually she landed, waltzing towards Gerald, whose lips parted into a wide grin. “You look beautiful,” were his first words.

  “You don’t look too bad, yourself,” Beth remarked, staring at his button-down shirt and fancy leather belt. She ran a hand along his collar, her fingers snaking behind his neck as she pulled him into a hug. He smelled good, too.

  “Shall we walk?”

  “Do we have another choice?”

  “Nope!”

  The two crossed the street to the railing, walking alongside the ocean. The waves were starting again, rising high and crashing onto the rocks below. Beth hooked her arm with Gerald’s; a movie-like scene. “In case you’re wondering, I do own a car,” he said, looking out on the ocean with a raised eyebrow.

  Beth chuckled loudly. It was a long walk to the city center, but she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind it one bit. “I like that we get to walk,” she said after a pause. “Gives us a chance to talk.”

  “Well, what d’you want to know?” Gerald asked, cocking his head to the side. His hair fluttered in the wind; it had grown longer than Beth had ever seen it.

  “Did you have a job back in Quafin?” In order to get to know a person, Beth thought, you needed to know what they did. If it was one thing she learned from her estranged grandfather, it was that. People were what they did; it was a flawed statement, taking into consideration all those people who worked jobs they hated, but she still went by it.

  “Of course I had a job. It was a lot more sophisticated than this one,” he gestured to the sea. “My father owned a lot of businesses, in fact at one point he pretty much owned everything in Quafin… that was until the Makinens took over.” Gerald stood for a moment, inspecting his surroundings. He then dug his hands into his pockets and marched on. “I used to run a few pubs, as well as three lawyer firms.”

  “Interesting choices,” Beth said, nodding. “You’re just becoming more and more interesting in my eyes.”

  “Well, what about you?” Gerald asked like he was filled with suspicion. “All you do is ask me questions, and I don’t know anything about you.”

  “I really wouldn’t know what to say. I’m twenty-nine, come from a weird home. Been living here for almost six years. Couldn’t wait to move out, to be honest. My family’s a mess.”

  “What are they like?”

  “A hot mess, that’s what they are. Dad had a ten year long affair, think it’s still going. Mom resorted to drinking, finally snapped out of it when I graduated college. When I moved out I promised I’d keep in touch, but it gets hard sometimes. Sometimes I don’t feel like talking to anyone.” At that moment it felt like she had emptied all the contents of her stomach. There was something oddly liberating about oversharing to a stranger. Not that she considered Gerald a stranger, but her family was something she never liked to talk about.

  Gerald let out a sigh. “I never really know the right words to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” Suddenly she found herself there. West Haven was full of flashing neon signs, and this was one of them. Arby’s sign was blue, flickering and self-explanatory. A bunch of other people were going in there; couples, mostly.

  “I have a reservation,” Gerald said, cocking his head towards a stubby waiter. “Under the name Gerald Bane.”

  “I feel special,” Beth blurted out.

  “I even booked us window seats,” Gerald beamed, heading for their table. The place was dimly lit and full of candles, like those typical date plac
es in the movies. Beth had only been there once. Her eyes floated around the circular room, observing a lot of elderly people enjoying a crab dinner. West Haven was the town of happy, long-lasting marriages, and these people were probably there celebrating their thirty-something anniversaries. It was almost as though they had teleported to a different dimension, a different time and place where chairs looked fancy and waiters resembled butlers. Gerald smiled, as though he had missed that life.

  The two slumped down on their chairs, staring at each other. Gerald looked like he wanted to say something, like a confession was manifesting deep inside him. “I really like you, Beth.”

  “You do? But you don’t know anything about me,” she said, resenting herself almost immediately. Why did she have to ruin everything?

  “It’s a preliminary judgment,” Gerald flashed her a smirk. “But seriously, I really like you. This past year has been rough, and you just came along and made it easier. You made living easier.”

  Beth felt emotional all of a sudden. Even though she had been living in West Haven for the past six years or so, she still felt lonely most of the time. She lived in isolation, having only a few trusted friends, one of which was Lenny. “You’ve made living easier for me, too,” she said after a long pause of contemplation. She finally got what she had asked for; a confession, proof that she meant something to this man. A part of her felt like she was dreaming.

  “Even when I was just this random dock worker who came in every morning just to flirt with you?”

  “Especially then.”

  Gerald laughed and looked away timidly. Beth eyed the menu, which was all fish.

  “You gonna get them oysters?” he asked her.

  She raised her eyes to meet his then inched forward in her chair, leaning across the tiny round table. “Guess who’s blowin’ all his money on me today?” she whispered.

  “I’d be glad to,” Gerald said, quite genuinely. His eyes seemed to glow in candle light like a pair of emeralds. Beth adjusted herself in her seat, marveling in the sight of him.

  “You really were in the right place, at the right time,” she said, breaking the silence.

  “It was all worth it, you know. I’m glad I saw you that day. I’m glad I walked into that diner a year ago when I was at my lowest.”

  Beth smiled. “And I’m glad to have served you that first cup of coffee,” she said.

  * * *

  Gerald wrapped his arms around himself. Walking along the coastline this late at night without proper insulation was close to torture. “How come I never brought a jacket?” he asked himself.

  “Because you were in a hurry to see me so your mind went blank?” Beth asked, her eyes snapping sideways. They were sharp with a glimmer, one that he had come to admire. Life with Beth was interesting, he thought. It was all walks and good food. Interesting conversation. Lots of jokes. Whenever he looked at her she always seemed to be tossing her head back and laughing. Her hair had gotten longer over the months, he noticed, reaching halfway down her back. As she walked it danced across her shoulders. Flustered, she put it up in a bun.

  “I prefer it down,” Gerald remarked.

  “Doesn’t matter what you prefer.”

  She walked ahead, spinning around and flashing him a smirk. Gerald saw that happen in slow motion, the moon’s white, milky light spilling onto the ocean surface, somehow illuminating everything.

  “Well, are you gonna let me take you out on a second date?” Gerald asked, realizing they had already reached her apartment building.”

  Beth seemed like she had already made up her mind, but was silent anyway. The wait was torturous. “I’d like that.”

  “For a second there I thought you’d say no,” his face broke into a grin. Everything inside him was settled now.

  “I mean, there is a lot that you still don’t know about me,” she shrugged. “So you might as well stick around until you find out.” Her gaze lingered; one eyebrow remained raised invitingly. “Well, we’re here,” she said, gesturing towards her building. “You know… I would hate it if you had to walk all the way back home with no jacket on.”

  “Well, what are we gonna do about that?” Gerald asked with his head cocked towards her. Beth reached for his hand and squeezed it. Her nails dug into his palms suggestively, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

  “Wait here. I’ll run upstairs and get you a jacket.”

  Gerald swallowed. Beth’s face broke into a smile again. “You’re killing me here,” he said.

  She tugged at his hand again, leading the way into the darkness of her apartment building. She, too, didn’t have an elevator. “My place is all the way up,” she hissed, her face falling from the light as she pulled Gerald in.

  Chapter 9

  Beth’s heart was pounding on the way up. She was feigning confidence, holding onto Gerald’s hand, her grip firm as she basically dragged him up the stairs. As she climbed up the last flight Beth’s body flung back, falling into Gerald’s arms. Quickly he spun her around, slamming a kiss on her lips that nearly knocked the wind from her lungs. She felt exhilarated; high. Suddenly they were grabbing at each other, clawing in the dark, not waiting to reach her apartment floor. Beth was panting. She hadn’t felt this excited, this breathless in a long time.

  Gerald was one hell of a great kisser. His breath was hot on her neck; Beth wondered if his canines would extract and injure her.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not about to hurt you,” he whispered, sensing her fear. Her muscles relaxed again as she moaned quietly. The couple walked up the last remaining steps, eventually landing in a pitch black hallway. Beth couldn’t contain herself. She grabbed Gerald’s face with both hands and exhaled into his mouth, drinking him in, head spinning at a thousand miles per hour.

  “Let’s go inside or the neighbors will hear us,” she whispered, feeling the sweat precipitate on her forehead. She brushed the hair from her eyes, hurling herself by the door. The keys rustled in their lock as Beth struggled to unlock it. Her whole body was hot. Gerald’s hands were on her shoulder, squeezing lightly, urging her.

  The door swung open, creaking loudly. They stumbled inside, slamming the door shut and turning to each other. Beth’s apartment was just as dark, but she didn’t turn the lights on. She just gravitated towards Gerald’s body, throwing herself at him, plunging into another make out session.

  Their tongues collided in violent dance, causing Beth to moan loudly. She wondered if the neighbors could hear them; after all, the walls were paper thin. Beth tended to hear her neighbors fucking all the time, but she had grown used to being alone. Gerald felt his way around her curvaceous figure, hands exploring shamelessly. Beth tossed her head back, feeling those fine strands of hair sticking to the back of her neck. She quickly flipped her maine to the side and pulled him by the collar, kissing him deeply.

  “Let’s go into your room,” he whispered. The bridge of his nose gleamed with moonlight, or streetlights or a mix of both. Beth realized the curtains were slightly open, but she didn’t care. In fact she walked all the way to her window and pushed it open to let in some air. Gerald charged towards her like a bull, scooping her up in his arms and body slamming her on the nearest couch. Figuring out if that black blob in the corner was a couch, Beth thought, was a gamble. Great thing it turned out to be one, after all, and her favorite one at that.

  Beth felt the enormous weight of Gerald’s body crush her. She didn’t think he’d be that heavy; werewolves, she thought, were something else. He rose on his knees, quickly slipping out of his shirt. He knelt for a while, staring at her. Moonlight radiated through the open window, spilling onto his chest, illuminating some body hair and skin glistening with sweat. Gerald wiped his forehead and dove in. Even though it was freezing outside, they were melting here. Beth began to underdress herself, but he was quick to stop her.

  “Here, let me do it,” he said, shifting on his knees before helping her slip out of her turtleneck. He then proceeded to unbutton her
skirt, pulling it down her long legs. Beth kicked it to the floor and parted her legs; she was begging for him. Gerald started planting kisses down her neck, licking and sucking at the fine skin, secretly waiting for it to bruise.

  “Fuck me, I need you to fuck me now,” she squealed, digging her fingernails into his arms, pulling him closer. Gerald’s hand snaked to Beth’s back, unhooking her bra and flinging it off. A pair of round breasts drove him wild, tugged at the most primitive parts of him. His hands were full of flesh as he played around with them, squeezing and rubbing, pinching her already engorged nipples.

  Beth moaned loudly, her voice rising and mixing with the air, perhaps flying out the window and disturbing -or amusing- passersby. Gerald was relentless. He knelt down on his knees and caught the knob of flesh between his lips, sucking at it gently, then more violently. Beth had always known she liked it rough.

  She started clawing in the dark, the back of her hand eventually coming into contact with Gerald’s hardness. She unzipped him, and then suddenly he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to have her. With his jeans still at his knees Gerald rolled his boxers down, unleashing his engorged member. He yanked Beth’s panties down, felt her wetness with his middle finger before entering her.

  Immediately he filled her. And he didn’t wait. With his pants still crunched up at his knees he began to fuck her; Beth couldn’t absorb what was happening. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, window all the way open and curtains fluttering in sync with vibrating vocal chords. She felt Gerald’s hardness grow and stretch inside her, squeezing a shriek out of her.

  Beth’s whole world was spinning. She reached back and held onto the couch’s arm, bracing herself for the fuck of her life. Gerald pushed his big fingers into her hair, holding her face as he demolished her. Her lips parted, Beth felt the inside of her mouth dry up like a prune. She looked down and her breasts were rippling with every thrust. She began to rotate her hips, matching Gerald’s rhythm.