The day had been awful. Rehashing everything that happened since she came back to Nocturne Falls, as well as her last tense encounter with Dani, didn’t allow for much sleep. After a restless night, Mirna crash-napped until noon. Even that didn’t help. She barely had enough brain power to make it to the evening hours. She had wandered around Dani’s house aimlessly, after discovering his note about having to work today.
“Be back later. Working. – D”
Not quite the reconciliation she had hoped for with the light of a new day. Still, she tried to occupy the time. Scanning his bookcases, inspecting his fridge, taking a nice long bath, and genuinely making herself at home did little to assuage the unease she felt at their last conversation, not to mention her lingering fears about breaking the spell on her ex. When the sun set at dusk and the moon started to rise, she thanked all the saints that she could get this over with at last.
Now, standing by the window in view of the full moon, Mirna held the dragon’s eye between her palms. Her eyes closed as she concentrated on bringing out its hidden power. The shiny black stone remained resistant. The dark red center muted.
“Oh, come on!” Mirna shouted in exasperation. This wasn’t supposed to be difficult. Charging a stone to utilize its power was basic druid magic. So why did it escape her now?
Dani.
All she could think about was him. The person I... He had cut himself off last night. “What was he about to say?” She couldn’t stop replaying the scene between them. The stone felt leaden and heavy between her hands. Thoughts of him kept flooding her head. It had been the same since she awoke. Hours and hours of picking apart each snippet of their conversation, and it seemed her brain still wouldn’t tire of it. If it kept going in this direction, she would never be able to concentrate enough to do any magic, let alone break a spell.
Mirna closed her eyes again and took a few deep breaths to ground herself. She willed her own magic to interweave with that of the stone. She could feel a slight energy hum in her hands. That was promising.
As promising as the electric energy she felt when Dani kissed her.
Dammit. Stop it.
But the pain in his eyes when she accused him of not trusting her remained as a weighty stone in her heart. Not trust you? You’re the sole person outside of my family that I’ve ever trusted. She sighed and went back to the stone.
Half an hour later, and with no visible progress, Mirna realized that this was going nowhere fast. She needed help. And there was only one person who could help her.
And that meant going to see Dani’s family. Could she face his mother right now, with all these jumbled feelings swirling inside her?
“I don’t have a choice,” she told the moon.
Dani still hadn’t come home. Maybe, he needed some time. Their talk didn’t do much to soften her mood, and she couldn’t imagine it did much for him either. “Can’t worry about it now.”
Pulling on a light blue jacket, part of the care package lent to her by the Smirnoff clan, she readied for the trek to his mother’s house. The moon was high overhead as she trudged through the trees to take the correct path. Within a brisk fifteen-minute walk, she managed the journey from Dani’s home to his family’s.
“Leave it to Dani to keep family close.” She smiled.
As she stood in front of the Smirnoff’s house, the large bay windows seemed to warn her to be gentle with the inhabitants inside. Taking the porch steps slowly, she spotted lights in every window. “Good, it’s not too late then.”
She knocked softly on the front door. Within seconds, Alina, clad in purple penguin pajamas and fuzzy blue socks, opened it. Her smile was so welcoming when she realized it was Mirna at the entrance that Mirna could only smile in response. She missed the family closeness. And this family made her want to be a part of it.
“Hi Alina. Is my grandma here?”
“Yes, she’s gossiping with Mama in the kitchen like they’re two hens.” Alina chuckled. “Come in.”
Mirna cracked a grin. Irina and Granny together would be a heck of a combination. Following Alina, she heard the pair’s voices before they even entered the large clean space that was the kitchen. Dani’s mother stood at the stove, mixing something in a huge bowl. The delicious smell of baking reminded Mirna that she had eaten only a banana and cold cereal all day after raiding Dani’s kitchen.
Granny sat at the marble counter, a cup of steaming tea in her hands and a plate of cookies in front her.
The two women were talking and laughing like old friends.
A sudden pang of loneliness hit her at the thought of going back to her life in Philly. Yes, she had freedom there to do what she wanted. And a career that she enjoyed. But companionship? True friendship? Not so much. Was the price of loneliness worth the rest? Right now, it sure didn’t seem like it.
“What is it, child?” Granny asked when she saw her standing in the doorway.
Irina turned too. “Are you okay, Mirna? Did something happen?”
“No, no,” Mirna hurried to assure her. “I just need Granny’s help with something.”
Irina visibly relaxed. “Why don’t you join us for dessert once you’re done, dear.” She smiled, whipping a mixture from a bowl to a cake pan. “Or we have some dinner in the fridge, if you’re hungry.”
“Thank you, I’d love dessert.” Mirna sniffed at the aroma of chocolate filling the kitchen. “Unfortunately, I have an appointment I have to get to once I finish here.” A smallish fib, since her meeting was with the stone and getting that spell to work.
“Well, you’re welcome to come back for a late dinner after your appointment, if Dani doesn’t feed you properly.”
Mirna laughed. She could see how Irina could still make Dani feel like a little boy.
“I will definitely keep that in mind.”
Granny led her to the room she was staying in on the second floor of the house. The guest bedroom was decorated in warm blue and beige colors. A large soft-looking bed, a couple of brown dressers, and an antique armchair made it cozy, as did the furry beige carpet.
Mirna sat on the bed while Granny took the armchair.
“So, what is it? Why do you look so upset?” Granny asked, her eye for such things as sharp as ever.
“I can’t seem to be able to charge the stone the way I need to,” Mirna admitted.
Granny cocked her head to the side as if missing the problem. “What do you mean? This is elemental magic. You can do it in your sleep, Mirna.”
“Well, I can’t do it now.” She plopped one knee over the other and dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know what’s happening.”
Granny shook her head. “Oh, really? The only reason you wouldn’t be able to do it is if you’re distracted. Are you distracted, child?” Her eyes drilled like lasers into Mirna’s. “What’s bothering you? What are you thinking about?”
There was no reason lying to Granny. She would figure out the truth anyway. “Dani and I had a fight. I’m still mad at him. And I can’t stop thinking about him.”
Granny nodded as if she already knew it. “Of course, you’re thinking about that boy. You and he have a history. I think you and he have a future too.”
As Granny was talking, Irina opened the door, a tray with tea and cookies in her hands.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “But I thought you may need a little refreshment while you talk.”
Mirna felt her face grow hot as Granny smiled knowingly.
“Yes, I believe we do. Thank you for thinking of us.” She took the tray from Irina and set it on the little table by the chair. Mirna caught a silent understanding pass between the two women.
“I’m sorry, dear.” Irina turned to her. “It may not be any of my business, but I caught a bit of your conversation and I gather you’re talking about my son.”
“Uhh,” Mirna mumbled. Before her stood this loving, wonderful woman, and here Mirna was mad at her son. She was at a loss.
“I’m not here to embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable,” Irina continued, clearly noticing Mirna’s discomfort. “I only wanted to tell you something about my son that will make you understand him more. What you do with it is your business.”
She waited for Mirna to acknowledge her words with a nod before continuing.
“You see, you may not know this, but not all dragons are made equal. We are all dangerous mind you. Everyone knows that and there’s many that will stay away. Even in this town.” She acquired a faraway gaze, and Mirna knew she was thinking about past things her family had gone through. “But even among us, there are those that are more wild than others. There are those of us who are born with an inability to control their dragon. They don’t know it until they shift for the first time, of course.”
Mirna listened with bated breath. Where was Irina going with this?
“Danila first shifted when he was thirteen. We lived near a regular town back then. He was so excited that he’d be a full dragon.” Irina smiled at the memory. “But something happened. He shifted and he went…” Her fingers seemed to twist against one another as if she was pondering the right word. “Well, no nice way to say it, I suppose. He went wild. He couldn’t shift back for a time and he couldn’t control his fire. He ended up burning down our house.”
The breath knocked right out of her at this admission. Many things became so much clearer in that moment. His fear, his guilt. Even his lie. It wasn’t the first time he’d burned a house to the ground. Poor Dani.
But Irina wasn’t finished. “We finally managed to get him to shift back. Once we put out the fire, we realized that Danila was nowhere to be found. He had run off.” Tears glistened in her eyes. Mirna could feel the pain Irina experienced as a mother who couldn’t help her child. Although she didn’t have children of her own yet, Mirna imagined nothing could be worse. “We searched for him for two days. He slept in the forest. When we found him at last, he was exhausted but adamant that he not be around anyone, including us, because he was afraid of hurting his family and others. That’s when we decided to move to Nocturne Falls.”
“Oh Dani,” Mirna whispered. Her heart was breaking for him and his family.
Irina nodded.
“He wasn’t okay for a long while. He swore that he would never shift again. And he’s carried the guilt for years.”
Mirna was horrified. “And I caused him to lose control and feel that pain all over again.”
Irina’s smile was sad, but she shook her head. “No, Mirna,” she whispered and took ahold of her hands. “I think you are the answer to setting him free.”
She swallowed and stared at his mother in disbelief. “What? How? Won’t I cause him more pain?”
Irina squeezed her hands gently. “You are the catalyst that made him shift again, something he swore he would never do.”
“But he must hate me for it.” Sadness and confusion colored her voice. She couldn’t hold it back.
“No, dear. He could never hate you,” Irina assured her. “But he also told me that you were the one who talked him down. He said that he felt like you reached his dragon, although he couldn’t be sure. It gave him hope.”
“Hope?” A small ray of moonlight danced between their joined hands.
“Yes, a real hope that if you can reach him when he shifts, maybe he can learn to control his dragon. And then he’ll be free of the fear and guilt.” Releasing her hands, Irina stepped back and tapped one long manicured nail against her cheek. “You see, our legend says that a special person can tame a dragon. And if you’re that right person, you can help tame his.”
Mirna stared in amazement. Could it be true? “How do we know if I’m the one?”
“It depends on a single thing,” Irina stated.
“What is that?”
“Do you love my son? Do you want to be with him?” Brown eyes, so like Dani’s bore into her own. “You have to decide that first for yourself. Because if you don’t, and you feel you need to leave, it is better not to even try.”
Mirna knew right there and then that she didn’t need to decide. If she could give Dani a chance at a normal life, even that of a dragon, she would do it. She had to. She...
“I love your son,” she answered without hesitation. “And I want to be with him.” The relief that she felt saying those words was immense.
I love Dani. I think I always have.
“I will do whatever I have to do to free him and help him be the dragon that he’s supposed to be,” she promised Irina.
“’Bout time you admitted you love that boy,” her grandma chimed in.
Granny chucked her on the arm, and they all laughed. Irina hugged her.
“Welcome to the family,” Irina told her. “Now let’s go get my boy freed.”