Chapter 5: Eleanor - The Dragon's Muse

Chapter 5

Eleanor

I spot Beck before Audrey does, and my stomach does a funny little somersault while my mind blanks. He’s actually coming to me. I need to find something smart or witty to say, and quickly, but all my brain wants to supply is noticing how long his strides are and how handsome he looks. Why do you have to be like this, Eleanor?

“Becky boy! Fancy seeing you again. Looking fine as always,” Audrey drawls, and I can’t help the pang of jealousy that stabs at my heart. It’s not like I’ll stand in their way if they’re attracted to each other, but if I had a say, I’d rather have Audrey interested in literally anyone else on this entire planet.

Beck inclines his head toward my tipsy friend, but his eyes stay on me, scanning me from top to bottom. There’s nothing lecherous about his gaze, but a small part of me kind of wishes there was.

“Audrey. Welcome back to Starry Hill. Bodin just left here to tend to your cousin.” Beck’s tone is completely neutral and I quickly look down to hide my tiny smirk at Audrey’s inability to rile him.

Swiveling her hips, Audrey elbows me lightly. “Oh yeah. I’m sure he’ll be tending her real good all night long.”

A small huff of a laugh escapes me because I know she’s right. I’m not sure how long the honeymoon phase is supposed to last, but from the way Tilly talked about Bodin tonight, they’re very much still in it.

“So, I’m going to give you two a moment to chat while I entertain the moon with a rendition of my favorite song,” Audrey says before skipping toward the dock, leaving me alone with Beck before I’ve had a chance to come up with something charming to say to him.

“Eleanor.”

“Beck.”

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

I’ve never felt more awkward in my life as silence stretches between us, my heart hammering wildly while my mouth refuses to function. How can I be a strong, intelligent woman but when it comes to this beautiful creature in front of me I can’t string together a proper sentence? I need Beck to know I actually have a personality underneath this shy layer. It just takes a little bit for me to come out of my shell. Would he have the patience to get to know how I am now?

Wanting to push us out of the awkward zone we’ve found ourselves in once again, I blurt out, “Have you seen Viggo? I don’t have his number and I think I need to get Audrey home before she tries to swim back herself.”

“I’ll take you.” The offer is out of Beck’s mouth without a second’s hesitation. This late at night, I’d have thought it would be hard to read his expression, but his light eyes shine with sincerity.

“I don’t want to put you out like that.” I try not to let my relief be too apparent but it’s hard when I know a dragon’s senses must be much keener than a human’s. According to the few articles I’ve read they can even detect different emotional notes in your scent, as well as having superior eyesight—as was demonstrated when he pointed out Maisie and Ren to me when they were no more than vague dots in the distance.

Beck’s already shaking his head. “You’re not.”

“You sure?” I ask, needing to confirm again. If he suddenly says no, I don’t know what I’d do or even how I’d be able to find Viggo. Or would we have to spend the night on the island? I definitely don’t want to bother Tilly or Maisie to put us up in their cottages after hearing their very adventurous plans for their partners when they get home.

“Come,” Beck says as he pivots and strides toward the wooden dock where Audrey is doing some kind of interpretive dance under the moonlight.

I stare after him for a second, marveling at his glistening white hair and how the moonlight seems to favor him as I futilely smooth my own hair down from the disastrous state it most likely is in right now.

Finally unfreezing my feet from my spot, I hurry my short legs to catch up with Beck. “Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

Beck doesn’t owe me anything, but having him willing to take us back to the city in the middle of the night means a lot to me. He might be a little gruffer than he used to be, but it seems he hasn’t lost his kind spirit.

Beck looks back at me and slows his pace until we’re walking side by side. “It’s really okay. It’s part of my job.”

Oh. Oh. I don’t want it to hurt, but it does sting. I guess it’s good to know why he’s helping us. If I thought it would be easy to rekindle our dormant friendship or reconnect as quickly as we once did, then at least this dose of reality will help set more realistic expectations.

Reaching for an easy topic instead of letting silence reign again, I ask, “Did you have a good evening with the other guys? Maisie mentioned you hosted a game night?”

A small smile graces Beck’s lips and I internally high-five myself. “Yes, thank you. It was my first time having visitors in my home, but I think everyone found it enjoyable. They want to meet weekly to continue the campaign. How was your evening?”

Something squeezes around my heart at the pride in Beck’s voice. I’m curious about why it’s his first time hosting, but asking any further personal questions might be a bit too presumptuous right now. Instead, I try to keep the conversation light. “Tonight was great. Really special. There are some really wonderful creatures living in Starry Hill.”

There’s a question in Beck’s eyes as he looks at me, but before he has the chance to voice it, Audrey waves a finger between us and asks a little suggestively, “You coming back to Cape Easton with us, stud?”

An almost indiscernible blush stains Beck’s cheeks. “I will take you back to the harbor and return home after I’ve seen to your safety. I imagine Viggo is… preoccupied and might have forgotten.”

“Well, who can blame him?” Audrey asks, and I can already feel the mischief brewing in her tone. “Have you seen Juniper? If I had a bunch of tentacles, they’d totally be wrapped around her all the time. And in her. So much penetration would be happening. All the penetration. All the time. I’d be—”

I jump forward and quickly place my finger against her mouth. “Okay,” I say loudly, cutting off whatever she was about to describe. “How about we employ that filter of yours for the trip back, pretty please?”

The last thing I need right now is thinking about penetration while I’m attracted to Beck and he’s very uninterested in me. I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable it must be for him if he scented any of my naughty thoughts while stuck on a small boat in the middle of the dark ocean.

“Ah, fuck. Sorry,” Audrey mumbles against my hand, but there’s not an ounce of contrition there. “Lips are zipped from here on out. Zippity zipped.” She pulls an imaginary line across her lips and locks it with an invisible key as she steps toward Beck’s boat. I have to bite my grin back so she doesn’t see how funny I think she is, just in case it eggs her on some more.

Beck steps into his boat and offers his hand to Audrey, who easily jumps down and stretches out along the entirety of the right-side bench with a quick wink toward me. My childhood friend doesn’t glance back at her as he keeps his hand out for me, and I curse my nerves as I eye the slightly rocking vessel, contemplating where to place my feet so I don’t face-plant onto the sleek deck or fall overboard into the daunting dark water.

Seemingly taking too long, Beck steps closer to me. “I’ve got you.” Before I can ask him what he means, he places his hands around my waist and gently picks me up like I’m a precious doll and not a fully grown, very curvaceous woman who is quite conscious of her weight. I might be short, but I’m not tiny by any standards. But right here, right now, I feel almost delicate in Beck’s arms.

“Oh.” The word holds my surprise, my thanks, my curiosity, and a feeling I can’t quite pinpoint. But when I’m home later, and very much alone, I’m totally replaying this exact moment multiple times.

Reading at least one of my emotions correctly, Beck says, “You’re welcome,” before carefully letting go of me and directing me to sit on the left while he undoes some knots tying us to the dock so we can sail away from this tranquil island and back to bustling reality.

The ride back is smooth and quiet except for the soft lapping of waves at the vessel as I marvel at the vast expanse of sky above us and the millions of shimmering stars visible without any light pollution out here. Underneath us, the ocean is a velvet navy bed, the surface a dappled mirror of the sky. But despite my usual uneasiness when it comes to the murky depths beneath me, I feel safe. Somehow, I know Beck won’t let anything happen to us.

I’m hyperaware of Beck’s presence next to me as he guides us back with one hand placed in the water, using some kind of magic to gracefully steer the boat. I want to ask him so many questions, but I also don’t want to break this tranquil spell we’re in.

Whenever I sneak a look at him, though, I find his gaze already on me.

Much sooner than I’d have liked, the sprawling expanse of Cape Easton comes into view, the city’s bright lights a stark contrast to the serenity of Starry Hill. Audrey looks pointedly at me, wordlessly encouraging me to say something to Beck, but I honestly don’t know where to start, especially with her assessing eyes on us like that.

Once we glide into the harbor and Beck helps us out, Audrey turns to us with her hands on her hips. “Okay, kids. Either you two talk now or I’m going to lock you in a room together until you’ve had a proper conversation. I can’t stand these awkward silences anymore when you both have so much to catch up on. This is how it’s going to work. My blood sugar is getting low, so I’m heading up to the diner and stuffing my face with carbs. Eleanor, I’ll wait for you there. But, don’t you dare join me until you’ve both talked, or else.”

“Or else what?” I tease, both relieved at her pushing us like this but also not wanting her to get her way too easily.

The glint in Audrey’s eye has me second-guessing my comment. “Oh, I’ve got ideas, don’t you worry, but I think you’d prefer having a quiet chat here. Right?”

Beck steps forward and inclines his head toward Audrey. “Thank you for giving us time to talk. I won’t keep Eleanor busy for too long.”

With a very self-satisfied smirk, Audrey turns on her heels and saunters toward the diner as I stare up at Beck, grateful for him taking the lead, and pleased that it sounds like he wants to actually talk to me too.

“Would you like to sit down?” Beck asks, pointing at a bench seat facing the harbor.

“Sure. It might put us on more equal ground,” I try to joke, thinking about the entire foot I’m shorter than Beck.

Walking beside me as we head away from the boat, Beck tilts his head to the side, his shoulder-length hair a moonlit waterfall cascading to one side. “What do you mean?”

“Because you’re so tall and I’m so short. There might be less of a difference to look at each other if we’re both sitting down,” I say, my words getting slower as doubt creeps back in.

Beck shakes his head and states flatly. “I’m not that tall. Bodin is taller than me.”

“You’re certainly taller than when you were seven,” I remark, remembering one of our first summers together when we could still look each other directly in the eye.

“Ah, yes. Puberty changed many things,” Beck says with a slight rasp in his voice, his gaze briefly dipping to my breasts as a quick flurry of pearly scales flutters over his cheeks.

“Oh.” My breath catches and I quickly divert my eyes from doing a similar sweep down Beck’s body. Wanting to change the course of the conversation to a safer topic, I pivot to an apology as he settles onto the bench in front of us. “I’m sorry if Audrey pushed you into talking to me. You really don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I want to talk to you,” Beck says quickly, the words feeling like a breath of fresh air as he looks up at me with such openness, it makes me let my guard down too.

Sliding onto the bench next to him, I gather my courage and ask, “Why didn’t you call me after I gave you my number? It’s been months.”

A furrow forms between Beck’s brows, a look of uncertainty dancing across his face as he stares at me. “I didn’t know if you really wanted me to.”

“It was implied,” I whisper, not feeling angry at him, but perhaps a little hurt. Maybe I didn’t expect hugs and an instant full recap of what he’s been up to over the years, but I may have entertained the thought that he was almost as excited as me to see each other again.

“I’m not good at reading between the lines,” Beck says after a beat. “Creatures can be deceptive with their words sometimes.” The statement leaves me nearly breathless because it speaks of ancient hurts that no one deserves. Hurt, I can read in the defeated slump of Beck’s shoulders as he studies his shoes. Hurt, I vow to myself I will not inflict on him too.

My friends have taught me a good motto: If he wanted to, he would. It’s a concept I try to apply to my own lackluster dating life, but I’m now realizing that this concept doesn’t necessarily apply to Beck. From what I’ve heard tonight, he requires direct communication, and expecting him to read my mind won’t work if I want to have a chance at rebuilding our friendship.

Tentatively, I reach up and squeeze his shoulder. “I’m sorry. It’s a cruel world sometimes.”

Beck presses his lips together and accepts the apology with a nod. “It is, but it’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours either.”

For the first time, we lapse into a comfortable silence as we look out over the harbor and the boats peacefully bobbing in place.

Beck clears his throat. “So, you want me to call you this week?”

I turn sideways in my seat so he can read my sincerity. “Yes. But only if you want to.”

Beck mirrors my position and his ocean eyes shine with an emotion I can’t quite place. “I do. I want us to be friends again. You were my best friend before.”

“You were mine too.” Taking a fortifying breath, I look at Beck’s kind face and ask the question that’s been weighing on me for years. “Where did you go, Beck? One day we were playing in the backyard, pushing each other on the swing, making up dances, and having fun, and the next day, you were just gone. I went to ask your grandmother where you were, but she said you had to leave early. She wouldn’t give me a reason why you didn’t say goodbye. Every summer I waited for you, hoping to see you one more time.”

Pain flashes across Beck’s face and he lifts his hand toward mine before laying it back in his lap and curling it into a fist, scales glimmering on his knuckles. “I did go back for you. Eventually. I went to see you the day after I graduated.”

I press my hand to my chest, my heart aching all over again as if no time has passed since that morning he disappeared, that missed opportunity at seeing him slicing through me like a sharp knife. “You did? I never knew. I graduated a year early and moved to Youngford to study law, then moved to Cape Easton a couple of years ago.”

Beck swallows audibly. “Would you…?”

“Would I what?” I encourage, trying to stay present in this moment so I can properly crash out at home once I process everything he’s said tonight.

Looking adorably awkward, Beck tucks a strand of moonlit blond hair behind his ear. “Would you want to hang out sometime? Get coffee together? Or lemonade, if it’s still your favorite?”

I smile and twirl a piece of hair around my index finger, feeling like he’s almost asking me out on a date. Beck might not have meant the offer to sound romantic, so in order to avoid any misunderstandings, I refuse to read too much into it and simply take his words at face value. “I’d really like that. We can meet here in the city, or maybe you can show me around Starry Hill?”

Beck’s entire body stills, his eyes rounding as he searches my face. “You want to come back to Starry Hill?” he asks, hope blossoming in his voice.

I nod as a lightness settles in my heart. “Very much. Lucille invited me to visit her next weekend at The Dancing Daisy. We could hang out after, if you’re free?”

“I’m free,” Beck answers quickly, a flurry of glittering scales rushing across his arms. “I’ll come pick you up in the morning and drop you off again when you’re ready to go back.”

“You sure it won’t be a bother to go twice? Maybe I can ask Viggo to do one of the trips?” I suggest.

“Please don’t.” It’s a simple request from Beck, one that’s very easy for me to agree to.

“Okay,” I breathe, hardly containing my smile.

“Okay,” Beck repeats, his eyes grazing across my face like he’s memorizing each one of my features.

“Saturday?” I state more than ask, already wondering how I’m going to get through the week when I have such an exciting weekend filled with a trip to Starry Hill, a visit to a bookshop, and Beck waiting for me at the end of it.

“Saturday,” Beck replies with a brilliant smile that matches my own.