Air Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Twenty-Six - Jae

Jae wasn't sure if he should have been impressed or afraid when the assistant on duty informed him of Ijn's arrival to the palace. He contemplated faking sick, almost unable to face her after their disaster of a date that afternoon. The right thing to do was suck it up and go. If she was going to break off their arrangement, it was better to do it in person than over the phone—or worse, have his father tell him. She got props for being able to do her own dirty work.

She was waiting for him in the throne room. Not his first choice of meeting places, but with the Great Lord lurking around the halls deeper in the palace, there were higher chances of him invading than out by the front entrance. It wasn't Jae's fault the great silver throne happened to also be there.

And of course, Ijn was looking exceptionally wonderful. Her long, black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail which made her large, almond shaped, black eyes seem all that more big and bright as they gazed in awe at the ornate silver bejeweled dragon making the fancy chair his father sat on at least once a day. A chair he himself would one day sit on, as well.

What struck him the most, was how Ijn was not dressed for a visit to the palace. Most women wore a dress, or at the very least the best slacks they owned. She had on jeans, tight ones at that, and a black hooded sweatshirt zipped up and hugging her curves. That told him either her visit wasn't planned, or she didn't care for formalities. He didn't know how to interpret that.

"So, why are you here?" he asked from the doorway.

Ijn's gaze snapped to him. Then her eyes narrowed into a glare so fierce he briefly thought about running. Jae was determined to stand his ground and take whatever punishment she found him worthy of receiving. What he hadn't been expecting, however, was for that penalty to come in the form of her marching over to him and slapping him across the face.

Stunned, he slowly raised a hand to his cheek to ease the sting. "Did that really happen? Or am I dreaming?"

"How dare you." Her voice took on a low, guttural, grit, like she was possessed by a demon or a beast. "Making fun of a disability is the lowest of a low. I expected better from you. Not just because you're a prince, but because you're a human being. I thought you were decent. I thought you were stronger than to take out your insecurities on...on..." Her hand shook at her side.

Jae braced himself to be struck again. "Not my proudest moment, I know. What makes you think I'm insecure?"

"Where should I start?" she sneered.

He should have been insulted by her tirade. All he felt was flabbergasted. Was it possible she knew him better than he originally thought? He took a shaky step forward. "I've been agonizing over what I said to you since you walked away. Regardless of how I feel toward you right now, I shouldn't have said that."

"I'm not..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "How do you feel toward me exactly?"

"Confused. One moment you're on fire, and the next you're cold. You're a huge mystery. The fact that my dad picked you out to make me more socially acceptable is a huge turn off despite my liking the puzzle." Normally, he wouldn't have been so honest. Since she'd been nothing but transparent with him, he figured it was only fair he offered her the same—to a point. He still couldn't share his dragon heritage, but he could at least explain the constant battle between him and his father. As well as why he had a hard time finding love on his own. Pretty sure that part is obvious now, though.

For a long moment, Ijn frowned. "What do you mean I was picked to make you more socially acceptable?"

"Regardless of if you can handle crowds or whatever causes your anxiety, you've got all the rules down for how to be the perfect princess," he said, rolling his eyes. "Dad likes you because you almost inspired me to play his stupid game."

"What game?" She shook her head. "Jae, you're making a lot assumptions. Freaking out over nothing."

It was his turn to glare at her. "Nothing? Being reminded of how I'm a constant disappointment isn't nothing. Having him try to play me so I can be more like who he thinks I should be instead of who I actually am, is a big deal. Look, I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfires of our drama. That's not okay. It makes me furious. Letting him manipulate me isn't okay either." He sighed. "It's not your fault that you're being used as a pawn. I get that. I just can't in good conscience keep this going if I know you're not going to be able to..."

"To what?" she pressed.

"I don't know." He sat down on, leaning against the doorframe. "He's going to use you to control me."

She sighed. "Wow, this is more intense than I was expecting. I thought maybe your problems stemmed from having an abundance of privilege. A need to rebel for attention, maybe. Turns out you're suffocating and struggling for freedom."

If only it was that simple. "Close enough," he said, not wanting to encourage her prying any deeper.

"What makes you think I'll let him use me to get to you?" she asked. "Do you think I'm a pushover?"

"Right now, no. I think you're pretty sexy." He smirked. "Take charge like this more often, and I know I'm in good hands. Earlier, though..." It was like you were a completely different person.

Ijn grabbed his hands with her own. They were more calloused than he remembered them being the night of the dance. Her warmth comforted him, relaxed all of his nerves, and reassured all of his doubts. "Just because I know how to be the perfect princess doesn't mean I will ever force you to be something you're not. I am who I am. Don't fault me for that. I won't ask you to change, so don't ask me to either. That's not love."

"So you love me now?" He couldn't help it. A large grin spread across his face. She wouldn't meet his gaze anymore, and the adorable blush was all over her cheeks again. It became his personal challenge to see how many times he could get her to do it. "You don't have to spill your guts today. So long as you mean what you say about not trying to change me, I'd like to make it up to you. My being a complete moron, I mean."

She raked her lower lip between her teeth. "I'd be willing to let you."

Even though the throne room was not the place to, Jae leaned in and kissed her lips. Their first kiss had been shy, hesitant. Their second kiss was a bit bolder. She still held back in the beginning. A few seconds into it, and her fingers were tangled in his hair, her body pressed dangerously close against his. Passion, and the sharp smell of cinnamon that he recognized right away as belonging to lust.

When they finally stopped to breathe, he had to create some distance between them before he found a place more private to continue their kissing. Privacy would not end well. He'd have less qualms about going too far too fast if there weren't so many nasty side effects to mating.

Deep down, he knew that was the wrong attitude to have. Sometimes, his hormones tried to be stronger than his willpower. Not sometimes, often. If he didn't see controlling them as an interesting challenge, his night with Ijn might have ended differently.

"I'll contact you soon. We'll get together again ASAP," he said.

Ijn gazed at him, and he was positive her eyes were glistening with tears. Hopefully happy ones. Would she kiss him with such passion only to break his heart? She gave a solid nod, turned on her heel, and made her way for the main door without so much as a goodbye.

All he could do was watch her go, stunned, confused, and incredibly intrigued.